The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) corrected a report last week that originally showed a vastly inflated number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state of Florida.
The CDC reported last Monday that there were 56,633 infections over two days and then divided it into two days for a record 28,317 and 28,316 over the weekend. Disputing the record, Florida Dept. of Health tweeted, “The number of cases @CDCgov released for Florida today is incorrect. They combined MULTIPLE days into one.”
“We anticipate CDC will correct the record,” the department continued, regarding the incorrect report which would mean a record high number of cases emerged on Sunday, Aug. 8.”
The margin between the Dept. of Health’s report and the CDC’s report was drastic. The CDC initially claimed that there were 28,317 new cases on Sunday, while the Florida DOH argued that the number was at 15,319.
On Tuesday, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention lowered its number down to 19,584.
Christina Pushaw, Press Secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, told the New York Post, “Mistakes happen. We appreciate that the CDC corrected the error yesterday and published the accurate case count. Reports that the CDC and Florida’s health department are ‘feuding,’ or disagree whatsoever about Florida’s COVID numbers, are categorically false. That fake narrative does generate clicks, but the media should prioritize truth and accuracy in reporting over likes and retweets.”
Republican-led states, such as Florida and Texas, have been routinely criticized by the Biden administration due to their less restrictive handling of the coronavirus and mask mandates.
Last month, DeSantis signed an executive order defending “parents’ freedom to choose,” which banned school districts from making face masks mandatory for students and staff.
“If you listen to some of the stuff that’s being percolated around the CDC, there’s a movement to try to impose more restrictions on the American people,” DeSantis said, speaking at a press event. “And I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or mandates in the state of Florida.”
In response, the Biden administration is offering cash to Florida school districts that defy Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask ban.
Florida, which ranks as the third-most populous state, reportedly accounted for 16.6% of the 92,361 new cases on Monday. According to the CDC data, the cumulative cases are 7.7% of the 35,991,203 total.