Jones “exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the Department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the Department’s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors,” Ferré said.
“The blatant disrespect for the professionals who were working around the clock to provide the important information for the COVID-19 website was harmful to the team,” she added. “Accuracy and transparency are always indispensable, especially during an unprecedented public health emergency such as COVID-19.
“Having someone disruptive cannot be tolerated during this public pandemic, which led the Department to determine that it was best to terminate her employment.”
Asal M. Johnson, an assistant professor of Public Health at Stetson University, told Florida Today that she worried DOH is trying “to undermine evidence-based decision making to prioritize (the) economy.”
Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo called for an independent investigation into the alleged data manipulation.
“Allegations that Florida’s government may have tried to manipulate or alter data to make reopening appear safer is outrageous,” Rizzo said. “These kinds of actions are dangerous and, frankly, should be criminal.”
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, wrote a letter to DeSantis requesting that members of his administration appear at the state’s next Cabinet meeting to answer questions about the accusations levied by Jones.
“These actions undermine public trust in our government, are extraordinarily dangerous to public health, and are absolutely inconsistent with the transparency and accuracy that Floridians expect and deserve during this pandemic,” Fried wrote.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health reported 55 more COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 2,052.
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“In a rather short period of time we lost over 2,000 people in Florida to COVID-19, a disease we hadn’t even heard of before this year,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida who leads the school’s Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice.
“As we work to reopen Florida it is critical for us all to remember that we each have a role in controlling this pandemic. Our individual and collective actions will determine the course of this pandemic in our own communities and will be the key as to whether we experience an even greater spike of disease and death in the coming months.”
Florida health officials reported the state’s first COVID-19 death on March 6, meaning it took 74 days to top 2,000 deaths.
The novel coronavirus has become one of the leading causes of death in Florida in just over two months. Based on 2018 death totals, 2,052 deaths would rank 16th among Florida’s top causes of death, above homicides and HIV.
Influenza and pneumonia killed 3,082 people in Florida in 2018. The coronavirus could top that this year.
Florida health officials are reporting a steady stream of new coronavirus cases, and more deaths are sure to follow.
The state’s coronavirus case total rose by 502 Tuesday to 46,944.
Floridians should be careful as they emerge from a month-long lockdown, said Levine, who previously served as Virginia’s state health commissioner.
“We know the virus is still circulating in our communities in Florida as well as around the nation and the globe,” Levine said. “Although we don’t have complete information, our best estimates tell us that many in our communities still remain vulnerable to the virus.
“Given Florida’s demographics and the burden of chronic disease in the population, many of us are at high risk of serious complications and even death.”
DeSantis began lifting Florida’s lockdown earlier this month. He has focused on the fact that the state’s health care system has not been overwhelmed, as some models predicted, and hospitals have plenty of available beds.
DeSantis touted his reopening strategy during a press conference in Orlando Monday. He has branded it the “Safe. Smart. Step by Step.” plan as he seeks to avoid criticism that he is moving too fast, something public health officials are warning against.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said during a U.S. Senate hearing last week that “the consequences could be really serious” if states reopen “prematurely.”
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“I’m just looking forward to helping bring us back,” DeSantis said Monday. “Obviously we still have issues with public health; that’s not going to go away, but I think we have a pathway to get Florida moving again.”
DeSantis is pushing a phased reopening that accelerated this week when gyms, libraries and museums were allowed to welcome people at 50% capacity. Restaurants and other retail establishments were allowed to increase from 25% to 50% occupancy.
The governor also allowed barbershops and hair salons to reopen last week, and many municipalities have reopened beaches.
Public health experts worry that the number of new cases and deaths could spike if the state reopens and people don’t continue to practice social distancing and take other precautions.
“Our only tools to deal with this have remained the same: Physical distancing (including cloth face coverings) and aggressive hygienic practices,“ Levine said. ”Our ability to adapt and incorporate those practices into our everyday lives will determine the success of our reopening.
“I am hopeful that we will not interpret reopening as a return to the normal we once knew, but rather to a new normal that incorporates the adaptations we need to implement to protect one another.”
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Governor Ron DeSantis’ office full statement on Rebekah Jones
Rebekah Jones’ duties were to display data obtained by the Department’s epidemiological staff. The team that created the graphics on the dashboard, which was made up by multiple people, received data that was provided by subject matter experts, including Senior Epidemiologists, Surveillance Epidemiologists, and a Senior Database Analyst.
Jones exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the Department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the Department’s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors. The blatant disrespect for the professionals who were working around the clock to provide the important information for the COVID-19 website was harmful to the team.
Accuracy and transparency are always indispensable, especially during an unprecedented public health emergency such as COVID-19. Having someone disruptive cannot be tolerated during this public pandemic, which led the Department to determine that it was best to terminate her employment.
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