0the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Tallahassee Fl. with no lockdowns, mask mandates, school closures, or business limitations, the Florida COVID wave has crested and fallen dramatically in recent weeks.
Hospitalizations fell off a cliff shorty after Governor DeSantis stood up and actively promoted monoclonal antibody outpatient clinics, an early treatment that has been shown to significantly reduce hospitalization risk.
When the Biden Administration seized control of the supply and unexpectedly slashed Florida’s allocation, the governor arranged a private purchase from GlaxoSmithKline to meet demand.
Governor DeSantis critics say it’s a coincidence and the wave was peaking anyway. Maybe true – but the same can be said about the timing of almost every lockdown and panic measure imposed right around a peak for the past year and a half. Lockdowns didn’t work.
None of this is to downplay the severity of the Florida wave. It took the state from 10th in age-adjusted COVID deaths to 27th. The numbers could get worse in the Sunshine State in the next few weeks before the crisis passes entirely and the variant heads to northern states.
Florida’s experience showed two things: that it’s the lockdowns, not the virus, that cause economic damage, and that the virus peaks and falls without non-pharmaceutical interventions. Governor DeSantis kept Florida working and productive throughout the pandemic.
Nowadays Covid is more of a political tool than a pandemic. We have plenty of drugs to treat the disease. The going battle is to convince part of the American public that still believes in lockdowns, mandates, masks and passports, that their fears are unfounded and produce more harm than good. It’s a tougher battle than beating Covid itself.
That’s what happens when you have competent leadership, unlike that buffoon Murphy (and Cuomo).
We are fighting government tyranny not a pandemic!