TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — During a Monday evening news conference addressing Florida’s surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced an additional 2,000 contracted nurses will be spread throughout the state to help combat the virus.
The governor had previously announced that 100 contract nurses would already be coming to the Tampa Bay area.
The state health department reported 12,624 new cases on Monday. That would have been the highest single-day increase we’ve seen if it wasn’t for the record-shattering 15,300 new cases reported on Sunday that totaled more than the number of new cases in all of Europe. Florida reported a spike in test results received by the state on both of those days.
Those 15,300 new cases over the weekend not only broke Florida’s single-day increase record by a landslide, but it also marked the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the Associated Press, California set the previous record last Wednesday with 11,694 positive cases. New York had 11,571 on April 15.
Gov. DeSantis did not hold a news conference on Sunday after the record spike was announced but did appear in Bradenton on Saturday to talk about testing and reopening schools.
According to a media advisory sent from his office on Monday, Gov. DeSantis will deliver his coronavirus update from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami at 5 p.m. ET. He will be joined by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez as well as Jackson Health System President and CEO Carlos Migoya. Monday marks one week since Mayor Giménez issued an emergency order closing restaurants and certain other indoor places in Miami-Dade County due to a spike in coronavirus cases.
In past news conferences, Gov. DeSantis has pointed to the percent positive of cases reported. Despite large increases in cases, Florida’s overall percent of positive labs was 13.62% on Saturday 12.90% on Sunday. Percent positivity for new cases was 11.25% on Saturday and 11.51% on Sunday.
DeSantis has also recently spoken about the spike in cases among younger adults – specifically those in the 25 to 34 age group. While that age group accounts for the largest percentage of cases in the state, Gov. DeSantis has said they don’t seem to be as severely impacted by the virus.
But Dr. Jill Roberts, an associate professor at the University of South Florida’s School of Public Health, recently told 8 On Your Side that while death is the worst outcome, there are plenty of other health and financial issues that could result from becoming sick with COVID-19.
“Death is the end point we’re most concerned with, but that’s not the only end point,” she said. “We have young people who’ve gotten sick who are reporting long-lasting health issues. They’re still having trouble breathing. They still had organ failure that occurred.”
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