Blame Game: Rising COVID-19 Cases Leads To Pandemic Rhetoric

FLORIDA — As Florida breaks all previous records this week for new coronavirus cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Joe Biden are trading barbs concerning who bears the responsibility for the growing number of people infected in the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data tracker, there were 24,869 new positive cases in Florida on Wednesday, more than any other single-day number of cases since the pandemic was declared on March 3, 2020.

The previous record was 23,983 cases on Aug. 6.

On Friday, the CDC reported 23,933 new cases in Florida.

The CDC said the majority of people who tested positive were infected with the delta variant, confirming CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walenksy's assertion that this variant is much more contagious than any of the previous variants of the coronavirus.

The rising numbers reported by the CDC along with Florida hospitals announcing the postponement of elective surgeries due to coronavirus patients filling hospital beds has prompted businesses, universities and municipalities throughout the state to reinstate face mask requirements and, in many cases, mandate vaccines for employees.

With most Florida schools reopening for the new year last week, the increased number of cases has also revived the debate over masking school children.

Floridians, frustrated at having to revert to safety protocols once again after experiencing two months of normalcy, are eager to point fingers, turning the health crisis into a political war of words.

During news conferences in the last two weeks, DeSantis has blamed the rising cases on a normal seasonal aberration, on the CDC for reporting false numbers and on Biden for allowing "hundreds of thousands of people" to pour across the Mexican border into the U.S.

"Why don't you get this border secure?" DeSantis asked Biden during a news conference in Panama City Aug. 4. "Until you do that, I don't want to hear a blip about COVID from you."

DeSantis was responding to a statement by Biden the day before, saying "some governors aren’t willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic."

"I say to these governors, please help. But if you are not going to help, at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives," Biden said.

Biden denounced Republican governors who have blocked efforts to mandate vaccines and face masks, and prohibited the use of so-called "vaccine passports" (requiring customers to produce proof of vaccination) to enter businesses.

Regardless of who's to blame, the latest numbers showing Florida outflanking all other states in new coronavirus cases with a statewide positivity rate of 24.9 percent, according to the CDC, and a statewide positivity rate of 19.3 percent, according to the DOH, for the past seven days compared to the national positivity rate of 9.73 percent.

Florida also added 286 more deaths to its toll of 40,766 people since the pandemic began, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Meanwhile, health officials throughout Florida say vaccinations and other preventive measures, along with prompt medical treatment for those infected, are the keys to getting COVID-19 under control.

The DOH said 65 percent of Floridians are now fully vaccinated.

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