‘WRONG DIRECTION’

DeSantis Touts Progress on the Same Day Florida Hits Record Coronavirus Hospitalizations

The governor predicted the state would soon see a downturn in new coronavirus cases Tuesday despite evidence to the contrary.

Florida has hit a new record for coronavirus hospitalizations with an additional 518 hospital admissions recorded Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis lauded the state’s progress on the same day, stating his belief that the state would soon begin trending downward in new coronavirus cases. “I think the trend is much better today than it was two weeks ago,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to be able to get through it. We’re not there yet.”

Experts disagree with DeSantis’ positive assessment. “As long as the cases continue at this current rate, you know things will continue to move in the wrong direction and we will most likely see hospitalizations and deaths increase,” Kaiser Family Foundation state health reform director Jennifer Tolbert said. The state had a six-day streak of reporting more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases daily but that streak was broken Tuesday with 9,440 new cases.