Appears @GovRonDeSantis asked only health experts who agree with his long-held stances that masks/lockdowns don't work to speak @ the public health roundtable @ the Florida Capitol today. I've talked to plenty of others who have different views. But those aren't represented here.
Nearly all the questions the governor has asked have been leading, as if he knows the answer that is coming. Most of the things being said here are unproven at minimum. Others are blatantly untrue and have been disproven by federal health agencies.
It goes something like this:
DeSantis: "Do you agree with XYZ that I did in Florida?"
Expert: "Yes, absolutely"
Expert: "I agree with everything that has been said here"
Just talked to site commander Carole Covey. She said it’s following both state and federal eligibility rules.
That means any Floridian 60+ can get a shot here, per @GovRonDeSantis’ order. Daycare, pre-K and K12 employees can get shots, per directive by @POTUS. @TB_Times
Apparently the site was slow over the weekend, but today is its busiest day yet, Covey said.
She said most shots today have gone to people 60-64 who became eligible for vaccines today. @TB_Times
I’m told by FEMA team lead Robert Hollingsworth that about 2,500 cars come thru the site each day on average. The staff here can administer 350 shots every 90 minutes, he said. @TB_Times
Here at the Tampa Greyhound Track coronavirus vaccination site off Waters Avenue. There’s a fairly steady stream of cars coming in, parking and going into these tents for shots. @TB_Times
I’m hearing that the site is following state eligibility rules, meaning no one under 50 could get a shot here. That’s different than what we were told a week ago, and I’m seeing younger people in line. Trying to get some clarity.
Sorry, that’s not totally correct. State rules say anyone of any age who is medically vulnerable and has a state of Florida form signed by a doctor saying so can get a shot. But no one else under 50
So the White House coronavirus task force sends weekly updates to each state. @GovRonDeSantis' office has reports for 11/15 and 11/22, but it hasn't released them.
Some media outlets have gotten the docs elsewhere and reported that Florida is in a "viral resurgence" of cases.
I asked @GovRonDeSantis' office for the reports yesterday morning. I didn't get a response until the afternoon, and it didn't include the reports.
After asking again, I was told they're being reviewed for public release, even though there is no non-public information in them.
So I called @RepCharlieCrist to see if he had seen the reports and could share or talk about them. He doesn't have them either.
"They’re pretty tight-lipped about the virus, which is absurd," Crist said of the Desantis and @realDonaldTrump administrations.
I sat in on a @NationalNurses presser today and let me tell you, nurses are hurting. They're working on floors they aren't trained for. They have too many patients and not enough protective equipment. They're getting sick and quitting, all while COVID-19 cases keep pouring in.
One nurse said:
"Last week I reached a point where I was numb. I didn't even feel tired. I couldn’t feel happy. I didn’t feel angry. I didn’t feel frustrated and didn't feel sad. I literally felt nothing, and that is a scary place for a nurse to be."
Another talked about holding phones and tablets for coronavirus patients who are dying so they can say goodbye to their loved ones. "In that instance, we are the patient's family. ... This takes an emotional toll that will stick with us for the rest of our lives."