Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida have come under fire after a study published in the American Journal of Public Health earlier this month said the state had undercounted the number of people who died from COVID-19.
According to Yahoo News, the study’s findings, titled Review of Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the State of Florida, were released on March 10 and indicated that Florida had 4,924 excess deaths that should have been counted as COVID-19-related but were not. Since certain people who die from COVID-19 may have diabetes or asthma at the time of death, this may have reduced the state’s COVID fatality rate.
“Total deaths are significantly higher than historical trends in Florida even when accounting for COVID-19–related deaths,” researchers wrote. “The impact of COVID-19 on mortality is significantly greater than the official COVID-19 data suggest.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, over 30,000 people have died in Florida from COVID. Last year, the state was accused of attempting to prevent governor-appointed medical examiners from disclosing all coronavirus results.
The team chose Florida because of the timeline in which the governor relaxed restrictions, according to Moosa Tatar, a public health economist at the University of Utah who led the study on excess deaths.
Tatar said, “I am sure that COVID-19 is responsible for most of these excess deaths.”
Meanwhile, amid reports that the state is on the verge of another boom, especially among young people, Florida remains open for business.
