A statue of a chef at Florio’s of Little Italy restaurant wears a protective mask on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk in Florida. The | (AP Photo / Lynne Sladky)
TALLAHASSEE – Florida set a new record for coronavirus cases, reporting more than 10,100 new infections when Vice President Mike Pence met with Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday to discuss the state’s response to the outbreak.
The growing case increases political pressure on DeSantis, a Republican, as Florida prepares to host Republican National Convention events in late August, including Trump’s acceptance speech.
Ad
The state reported more than 169,000 cases in total as it entered the second phase of its economic reopening after an April close. When Pence visited him in late May, grabbing a hamburger with the governor at an Orlando restaurant, the state had fewer than 50,000 cases.
The 10,109 infections added to the state’s cumulative total included 9,558 new positive results on Wednesday. The remaining 551 positive results were collected by the State Department of Health earlier in the week, but required an investigation before adding them to the running total. More than 14.5 percent of people screened Wednesday were diagnosed with Covid-19, according to the state Department of Health.
Florida also reported a record number of new hospitalizations, 325, surpassing the previous high of 265 set on May 21, just after the state entered its reopening phase one.
The state reported 67 new deaths, a daily high since phase one that reopened on May 18. Florida’s one-day death record was 83 on April 28.
Pence, wearing a dark blue mask, arrived at Tampa International Airport, where DeSantis met him on the tarmac in a light blue mask.
DeSantis, a Republican and an ally of President Donald Trump, was enraged at criticism of the growing number of viral cases and said he has no plans to impose new restrictions, although his administration last week told bars to stop selling alcohol in the place.
DeSantis has attributed the increase in cases to more evidence, groups of farm workers who get sick and spread among young people who are less at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying.
DeSantis has also refused to implement a mask mandate statewide, questioning how it could be enforced. A wave of cities and counties have established their own mask rules, including Jacksonville, where Republican National Convention events will take place.
The increase in hospital admissions has led several to reduce elective surgeries.
Pence’s official visit was supposed to coincide with Trump campaign stops that were canceled due to the spread of the coronavirus, making the stump at a “Great American Return” event too potentially dangerous and uncomfortable.
Pence also canceled a campaign stop in Arizona, but made an official visit to that battlefield on Wednesday, which also saw a record increase in cases that coincided with his arrival.
The Trump administration has also sent HHS Secretary Alex Azar to crucial battlefield states, including Florida.
In a nod to Florida’s importance as the nation’s largest state, Trump’s re-election campaign has invested money in television commercials, spending and reserving $ 9.5 million airtime from May to July and then later this week. , reserving another $ 36 million for Florida ads from September through Election Day, according to Advertising Analytics.
Democrat Joe Biden, who leads in all of the state’s recent public polls, is nearing the end of a $ 1.5 million state advertising purchase he booked in June.
Before Pence’s visit, Democrats lashed out at the Republican response to Covid-19.
“The governor has been meek, he has been following the example of the White House,” said Rep. Donna Shalala, a Miami Democrat and former chief of Health and Human Services for President Bill Clinton. “I don’t know why he ran for governor if he didn’t want to make difficult decisions.”
Arek Sarkissian contributed to this report.
