US government sends hundreds of ventilators to Florida as Covid surge continues

WASHINGTON – The federal government sent hundreds of ventilators and other equipment to Florida this week to help the state respond to a record number of Covid hospitalizations.

The devices came from the federal government’s National Strategic Reserve and included 200 ventilators and 100 smaller respirators and related supplies, according to an HHS official.

A record number of people have been hospitalized in Florida amid an increase in Covid infections largely due to the unvaccinated, public health officials said.

On Tuesday, 14,787 people were hospitalized for Covid, 145% more than during the state’s previous peak in July 2020, according to the Florida Hospital Association. Almost 90% of the state’s intensive care beds were in use and 85% of all patient beds were full, the group said.

“There is this rapid and accelerating increase that is unprecedented,” Ed Jimenez, CEO of University of Florida Health Shands, told MSNBC. In his hospital, 90 percent of patients are not vaccinated, he said.

Requests for stock equipment are made by local and national health authorities.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was unaware of the federal allocation when asked about it Tuesday by ABC Local10, which first reported on the fans.

“I haven’t heard of it, so I have to check whether it’s true or not,” he told the station. “I would honestly doubt that was true, but I will watch. We have a lot of stuff that we have stored over the past year and a half through the Department of Emergency Management. I had no requests on my desk. I was not informed.

DeSantis has been battling with the Biden administration in recent days over its implementation of a ban on mask requirements. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday his administration was looking at whether federal action could be taken to allow Florida schools to require masks.

Last week, DeSantis alleged that Biden’s immigration policies led to the wave of Covid infections, not low vaccination rates.