DeSantis Puts Lining His Own Campaign Chest Over the Health of Floridians
Washington, DC – Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his shameless attempts to profit off of this pandemic. After complaining that the government stopped sending monoclonal antibodies that even the drug manufacturers say don’t work against the variant currently responsible for 99% of COVID-19 infections, DeSantis continued his temper tantrum by sending a fundraising email to actually try to raise money off of the lies and misinformation he sows.
“This is a shameless political move by Gov. DeSantis to profit off of the confusion and fear he himself stokes,” said Coronavirus War Room Director Nicole Haley. “Instead of making sure people get vaccinated and boosted, which is the best protection we have against the Omicron variant, or trying to get people in Florida who may need them access to the 34,000 doses of treatment sent by the federal government, which actually work, DeSantis is sowing disinformation and downright lying about the actions of the Biden administration. He must be held accountable for picking fights that prolong the pandemic and put people’s lives at risk, all to line his campaign chest and score political points with the most extreme in his base.”
RON DESANTIS IS A DISASTER FOR FLORIDA:
DeSantis Lets A Million Unused Tests Expire While Floridians Struggle To Find Tests. Governor DeSantis and his administration covered up that 800,000 to 1,000,000 Covid-19 rapid tests expired in a warehouse from December 26th through the 30th. As Covid-19 tests have become scarce, Floridians have had to wait in hours-long lines in order to get tested. DeSantis has asked for an expiration date extension and has announced that his administration will distribute 1,000,000 at home tests to assisted living facilities for seniors.
DeSantis Spreads Vaccine Misinformation While The Omicron Variant Surged Across Florida. In his first press conference of 2022, Governor DeSantis said, “With Omicron, you know, the vaccinations are not preventing infection.” Doctors and scientists staunchly oppose this sentiment arguing that those inoculated and boosted against Covid-19 are best protected against severe sickness and hospitalization from the Omicron variant. DeSantis also supports monoclonal antibody treatments as a solution to the coronavirus pandemic. However, recent studies have shown that antibody treatments do little to counteract the effects of the Omicron variant.
Republican State Lawmakers And DeSantis Ban Vaccine Passports. Gov. DeSantis signed Senate Bill 2006 into law in early May 2021 to ban vaccine passports and “government overreach.” This limits when the state and local governments can call for an emergency order and allows the Governor of Florida to invalidate a local emergency order if it unnecessarily restricts the rights or liberties of individuals. This law and Executive Orders 21-101 and 21-102 ended local emergency orders. On June 27, 2021, DeSantis did not renew the state’s emergency order.
DeSantis Bans Mask Mandates In Schools. On July 30, 2021, Gov. DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-075 to ban mask mandates in schools and allow parents the right to decide if their children wear masks. After facing backlash from school districts with mask mandates already in place, DeSantis threatened to withhold salaries of superintendents and school boards disregarding his executive order and ultimately withheld funds from two districts — $194,720 from Alachua County and $526,197 from Broward County. In November, Florida’s state board of education voted to restore funding to school districts that previously imposed mask mandates, following those districts lifting their mask orders.
DeSantis Appoints Misinformation Fanatic As Surgeon General. Governor DeSantis appointed Dr. Joseph Ladapo to the position of General Surgeon–an extremist who has peddled dangerous misinformation, pushed quack cures like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin and called masks a “distraction.” Reports now state that Lapado brings home a $362,000 paycheck each year, a massive increase from his predecessor and a slap in the face to Floridians who are facing economic hardships due to the pandemic.
FACTS ABOUT ANTIBODIES:
- Regeneron and Eli Lilly have said their monoclonal antibodies do not work against omicron. NIH agrees. Virtually all early studies have also shown this.
- FDA restricted the authorizations to say the products are not currently authorized to be used anywhere in the country.
- The American Medical Association agrees with the FDA’s decision saying, “we are pleased that the FDA is following the scientific evidence and limiting the use of monoclonal antibody treatments to those that are effective against the Omicron variant.”
- CDC’s current estimate is that Omicron makes up 99% of cases nationwide, including no less than 97% in any region.