Florida hospital CEOs call on DeSantis to stay on ‘get vaccinated’ message

(The Center Square) – Nearly 17,000 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in Florida on Tuesday and state hospital executives confirm between 95% and 99% of 12,408 COVID-19 patients in their hospitals Wednesday are unvaccinated.

But during a virtual roundtable with hospital CEOs Wednesday in Orlando, Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted to discuss 25,000 breakthrough COVID-19 cases reported in Florida this year and alternate treatments.

The governor raised concerns about breakthrough cases – his claim of 25,000 cases is unverified by available federal/state data – Tuesday in Miami while reiterating there will be no lockdowns or mask mandates in response to the COVID-19 surge.

DeSantis on Tuesday claimed “fear-mongering” by a “hysterical media” is exaggerating the outbreak’s severity, noting mortality rates are down 70% compared to previous peaks and his “Senior First” policy convinced more than 75% of the state’s seniors, the most vulnerable population, to be inoculated.

Being vaccinated “may not mean you’ll never test positive, but I think the severity has been lessened, and I think these hospitals would say the same,” DeSantis said.

During Wednesday’s roundtable, the governor observed, “We have seen a lot of fully vaccinated people test positive,” and asked hospital executives to assure Floridians that vaccines are safe and effective.

Orlando Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Ralls said breakthrough case numbers are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

“Despite the information that’s coming out about people that are fully vaccinated still getting COVID, those numbers are low, number one. And, they are absolutely still in a better situation than they would have been had they gotten COVID without the vaccine,” he said.

Executives reported at least 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated with most saying between 95% and 99% had not been inoculated.

Tampa General CEO John Couris said few vaccinated patients contract COVID-19 and those who do were “immunosuppressed.”

DeSantis also asked CEOs to discuss monoclonal antibody treatment — lab-made COVID-19 antibodies — which the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) allows doctors to use on very sick COVID-19 patients.

“I can tell you, anecdotally, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to anyone who wasn’t happy that they did it,” he said about the treatment.

Couris said Tampa General uses the treatment 35-40 times a day. It’s “very effective” if administered within five-to-seven days of contracting COVID-19, he said.

“We’re treating people who are not vaccinated, and we are treating people who have had breakthroughs — as rare as breakthroughs are — we’re treating those people as well,” Couris said.

The executives echoed Monday comments by Florida Hospital Association CEO Mary Mayhew who said current COVID-19 patients are younger than patients hospitalized last summer, attributing it to low immunization rates among 20-50 year old Floridians.

Rails said 55% of Orlando Health’s hospitalized COVID-19 patients are between 40-to-64 years old.

“It’s a younger group” that’s “heavily represented” by unvaccinated patients, he said, noting, “Unfortunately, that vaccine message didn’t really penetrate the way we had hoped in everybody, but it definitely did protect the older group.”

Couris told DeSantis his questions about “breakthrough” cases and alternate treatments could dissuade people from getting vaccinated — and despite the governor’s assurances, there’s no certainty the pandemic will slacken soon but there’s certainty the situation now is dire and getting worse.

“There’s no question, governor, that our ERs are full, and we are busy. We have the most COVID patients that we’ve ever had through the pandemic,” Couris said.

“The two messages here are really, obviously, vaccinated people have a lot less potential for getting hospitalized. That’s extremely important,” Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya said. “And if you get sick, go see someone in the first seven days.”

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