US Govt. Sends Hundreds <br />of Ventilators to Florida , as COVID-19 Surges.<br />The Department of Health and <br />Human Services has sent nearly <br />300 breathing devices to the state.<br />The actions of the federal government come <br />as Republican state leaders continue to <br />contradict the advice of medical experts, .<br />and COVID-19 cases surge, <br />mostly among those who are unvaccinated.<br />Hospitalizations hit an all-time high <br />in FL on Aug. 10, .<br />... exceeding the the state's previous record <br />from last summer during the peak of the pandemic.<br />There is this rapid, accelerated rise that is unprecedented, Ed Jimenez, University of Florida Health Shands CEO, via NBC News.<br />According to the Florida Hospital Association, <br />85 percent of all hospital beds are full.<br />Intensive care unit beds are at <br />nearly 90 percent capacity.<br />When asked by reporters about the request for <br />more ventilators by state and local health officials, .<br />Republican FL Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated <br />he was unaware of the ask.<br />I have not heard about that, so I have to check to see if that's true or not. I would honestly doubt that that's true, but <br />I'll look. , Governor Ron DeSantis, (R-FL), via NBC News.<br />We have a lot of stuff that we stockpiled over the last year and a half through the Department of Emergency Management. , Governor Ron DeSantis, (R-FL), via NBC News.<br />I have not had any requests across my desk. I haven't been notified of that, Governor Ron DeSantis, (R-FL), via NBC News.<br />DeSantis recently issued <br />an executive order <br />banning mask mandates. .<br />He has blamed Florida's COVID-19 emergency on the Biden administration's policies regarding immigration
