DeSantis: Even with massive increase in testing, Florida COVID-19 cases getting harder to find

by | May 29, 2020


Florida has administered almost one million covid-19 tests since March, and within the last 12 days, the overwhelming majority of all tests are coming back negative. During a press conference Friday held in Boca Raton, Governor Ron DeSantis compared Florida’s covid-19 statistics to other states.

“We wanted to make sure we pushed forward on increased testing, and we’ve done that. I think if you look now Florida has close to a million test results. I think there is another 40,000 today,” said Desantis, “It’s interesting that if you look at the different states in terms of number of cases in the state that’s right above us in the ranking is Michigan. They’ve got several thousand more cases but we’ve done 400,000 more tests than they’ve done.”

DeSantis testing has been a major priority of his administration over the past 12 days.

“You look right below us, Maryland and they’re only like a quarter or 30% of our size and they’ve got 30,000 fewer cases but we’ve done 600,000 more tests than Maryland has done.” said DeSantis.

According to stats DeSantis cited at the press conference, Florida has completed more tests over the last 12 days than in any previous 12 day period. Meanwhile, the percentage of negative tests – those that come back without finding COVID-19 – has ranged between less than one percent and 3.3 percent over the same period.

DeSantis says that drive-through testing sites around the state have the capacity to complete 10,000 tests per day.

“We typically only have demand for about half that much and so we’ve told people to come if you want to get tested,” DeSantis said. “It doesn’t matter if you have symptoms.”

DeSantis pointed out that walk-in testing sites have been particularly successful in medically-underserved and poor communities, particularly in Southeast Florida.

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. walter menchillo

    time to lift ALL RESTRICTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS!!!!!!!

  2. Joe T Plumber

    Time to get back to work. Hey hey No work , no pay aint livin of my tax money today!!