Christine Sexton

Bill filed shortly after Florida’s Surgeon General was accused of spreading false medical statements.

“Florida will completely reject fear as a way of making policies in public health.”

“We see as we open the school year, it was truly what I call the perfect storm.”

Florida has been a hotbed for COVID-19 in recent weeks as the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus has spread.

The AARP report showed that Florida lagged in vaccinating nursing home residents, with 73 percent of residents considered fully vaccinated.

The statewide vaccination rate for children between 24 and 35 months old who rely on county health departments was 79.3 percent in 2021, a drop from 93.4.

DeSantis would not say Thursday whether he would ban hospitals from requiring staff to get vaccinated but made clear he’s not a fan of the idea.

The total is up from an estimated Medicaid enrollment of 4.524 million people for the recently completed 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Twelve Florida hospitals reported having a “critical staffing shortage” as of Monday.

The surge in hospitalizations has come as the overall number of reported infections has risen dramatically in recent weeks.