Like many numbers types, I tend to obsessively follow the Covid data. One big story, which will probably get more coverage soon, is FL's rapid rise in the dismal rankings 1/ 
These are 7-day averages, which are a lagging indicator during a surge; also, FL does only about half as much testing as NY. So the outbreak in FL is probably already worse than NY's 2/ coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/tracke…
The political relevance is obvious. Just a month or so ago, FL officials were boasting about their low case rate (never mind all those deaths earlier in 2021). Just days ago they were sneering at how NY, with all those restrictions, was leading the nation in cases 3/
Partly this involved misrepresenting how onerous NY rules are. There was a huge and creepy flap over photos of AOC dining outdoors in FL, an activity that in NYC would have been and in fact still is — completely legal and normal 4/
Anyway, FL officials are, predictably, responding to the surge in reported cases by calling for ... less testing 5/ businessinsider.com/florida-surgeo…
But what will they do when hospitalizations surge? FL is less vaccinated than NY — probably less than the numbers say, bc Miami-Dade is inflated by snowbirds and vaccine tourism. Plus the state has been anti-booster. So probably a significantly worse hospital case than NY 6/
Well, they're already floating the argument that people who are hospitalized for other reasons then found to have Covid shouldn't count. 7/ businessinsider.com/50-covid-19-pa…
In short, the DeSantis administration has learned nothing from its deadly summer, except that if you deny reality loudly enough, you may get away with failure 8/ orlandosentinel.com/opinion/editor…
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