FIGHT AGAINST COVID.
CALIFORNIA WAS THE FIRST STATE
TO SHUT DOWN ENTIRELY ABOUT A
YEAR AGO WHILE FLORIDA
BASICALLY OVERTIME STAYED OPEN.
THE END RESULTS THEIR CASE
RATES STAYED THE SAME.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTING
LIFE IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
LOOKS LIKE A RETURN TO NORMAL.
DR. MARC SIEGEL, FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR.
GOOD MORNING.
HERE ISIS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
IN CALIFORNIA, 9.0%.
FLORIDA IS 4.8.
HERE IS WHAT AXIOS WRITES.
"L. A. TIMES," CALIFORNIA
VERSUS FLORIDA, WHO HANDLED IT
BETTER?
FLORIDA’S PANDEMIC RESPONSE
GETS A SECOND LOOK FROM THE
NATIONAL MEDIA.
SO THAT’S WHY WE BRING YOU IN
TODAY.
COMPARE THE TWO.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
IS THERE SOMETHING TO IT?
>> IT IS A GREAT COMPARISON TO
MAKE.
BOTH HAVE GOOD WEATHER, A LOT
OF OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES.
CALIFORNIA, THIS MADE ME REALLY
SUSPICIOUS, BACK IN NOVEMBER
CLOSED OUTDOOR DINING AT A TIME
WHEN RESTAURANTS HAD PUT A LOT
OF MONEY INTO THEIR OUTDOOR
FOOTPRINT AND ALMOST NO SPREAD.
I KNEW IT WAS THE POLITICS OF
FEAR.
LOCKDOWNS ARE PROBLEMATIC.
THEY HAVE TREMENDOUS MENTAL,
PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS.
THE BENEFIT HASN’T BEEN PROVEN
ONCE THE VIRUS IS ALREADY
SPREADING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY.
THAT’S WHEN MASKING AND
DISTANCING AND LESS GATHERINGS
WORK.
BUT IF THE VIRUS IS IN YOUR
HOUSEHOLD ALREADY LOCKING DOWN
SUFFICIENT INDICATES THE
SITUATION DOESN’T PREVENT
SPREAD.
FLORIDA UNDER GOVERNOR DESANTIS
HAS BEEN WIDE OPEN.
CASE NUMBERS ARE ABOUT THE SAME.
HOSPITALIZATIONS, BY THE WAY,
HAVE GONE DOWN 22% AND DEATHS
37% OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS IN
FLORIDA.
HOW COULD IT BE HAPPENING AT A
TIME WHEN THE B-1 17 AND UNITED
KINGDOM VARIANT IS OVER 50% OF
THE CASES IN FLORIDA?
HOW COULD IT BE HAPPENING?
ONE, WE HAVE A LOT OF NATURAL
IMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
ALREADY GOTTEN COVID AND GOTTEN
OVER IT.
WE AREN’T TALKING ABOUT THAT
ENOUGH.
TWO, THE ELDERLY POPULATION IS
GETTING VACCINATED BIG TIME IN
FLORIDA.
OVER 60% ALREADY HAD AT LEAST
ONE DOSE.
COMBINATION OF VACCINATION AND
NATURAL IMMUNITY IS DRIVING
DOWN CASES AND OUTDOORS.
>> Dana: HAVE YOU LISTEN TO
GOVERNOR DESANTIS WAS ON
SATURDAY NIGHT TALKING ABOUT
HIS APPROACH.
>> WE VIEWED THIS AS A VIRUS
THAT WAS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS
FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE BUT NOT AS
DANGEROUS FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE.
WE BANNED HOSPITALS FROM
SENDING INFECTED PATIENTS INTO
NURSING HOMES.
WE ALSO DID THINGS LIKE
PRIORITIZE OUR SENIORS FOR
VACCINATIONS.
BUT WE HAD KIDS IN SCHOOL.
WE ALSO SAVED THE ECONOMY FROM
COLLAPSE.
OUR EMPLOYMENT RATE RIGHT NOW
IS 4.9%.
>> Dana: LESSONS LEARNED
PERHAPS, DR. SIEGEL?
>> LISTEN, THIS IS WHAT I’M
CALLING SETTLED SCIENCE.
HE IS RIGHT ABOUT THE SCHOOLS.
HE WAS VISIONARY WITH THE
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS SHOW LESS SPREAD AMONG
KIDS THAN IF KIDS ARE OUT IN
THE COMMUNITY.
GOVERNOR DESANTIS INTERVENED AT
NURSING HOMES WITH MORE
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND MORE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FAMILIES
AND LOVED ONES WHO WERE IN
NURSING HOMES.
ALL OF THAT WAS VISIONARY.
I STILL THINK MASKING,
DISTANCING PLAY A ROLE HERE.
I’M A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT
SPRING BREAK OCCURRING.
I DON’T THINK THAT WE CAN JUST,
YOU KNOW, PUT OUR GUARD DOWN
COMPLETELY AT THIS POINT.
THERE IS STILL A LOT OF --
OPENING BUSINESSES IS CLEARLY
THE WAY TO GO IF DONE
SCIENTIFICALLY.
>> Bill: WHAT IS THE VIEW OF
THE VARIANTS GETTING SO MUCH
MEDIA ATTENTION NOW.
WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW MUCH
CONCERN SHOULD THERE BE VERSUS
MAYBE THE FEAR OF WHAT COULD BE
THERE?
>> I THINK IT’S THE POLITICS OF
FEAR.
THE WORD VARIANT SCARCE PEOPLE.
THE WORD MUTATION SCARES PEOPLE.
DO WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO
IT?
YES.
LISTEN, BILL.
FLORIDA AGAIN IS A REAL WORLD
LABORATORY.
THEY’VE GOT A LOT OF THE U.K.
STRAIN AND YET THE CASE NUMBERS
ARE GOING DOWN AND
HOSPITALIZATIONS GOING DOWN.
DEATHS ARE GOING DOWN.
TEXAS HAS REMOVED THE MASK
MANDATE.
CASE NUMBERS ARE STILL GOING
DOWN.
WE HAVE TO WATCH THE VARIANTS
VERY CAREFULLY.
IF WE KEEP THE NUMBER OF VIRUS
DOWN WE’LL HAVE LESS VARIANTS.
THE VACCINES THAT WE HAVE COVER
PRETTY MUCH EVERY VARIANT
THAT’S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW AND
IF NEED BE WE CAN ALWAYS RETOOL
THE VACCINE QUICKLY IF A
VARIANT EMERGES WE WEREN’T
EXPECTING.
WE CAN GET CONTROL OF THE
SITUATION.
WE’RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
I DO NOT PREDICT A THIRD WAVE
THE WAY THAT EUROPE IS
EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE HAD TOO MUCH IMMUNITY
HERE.
>> Dana: DO YOU THINK EUROPE IS
OVERREACTING ON THE ASTRAZENECA
VACCINE OR MAKING THE RIGHT
DECISION?
>> CAUTION IS THE WORD.
FDA HAS BEEN CAUTIOUS ABOUT
THAT VACCINE.
DO YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE GET
BLOOD CLOT FROM COVID-19?
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE
VACCINE VERSUS THE RISKS OF THE
VIRUS.
THE RISKS OF THE VIRUS ARE
ENORMOUS.
IT IS RIGHT TO BE TAKING A
CLOSE LOOK AT THIS.
THEY ARE OVERREACTING SHUTTING
IT DOWN, YES
>> Bill: ONE LAST POINT ON
FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA.
AN EXPERT IS MAKING THE CASE
FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA NEITHER
WAS RIGHT OR WRONG.
IS THAT THE EPIDEMIOLOGIST
FOCUS ONLY ON INFECTION AND
DEATH RATE.
THAT WAS A MISTAKE.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> I AGREE WITH THAT.
THE THING WE FOCUS ON AS PUBLIC
HEALTH PEOPLE IS
HOSPITALIZATION RATE.
ARE THEY GETTING IN THE WAY OF
OUR ABILITY TO TAKE CARE OF
OTHER PATIENTS?
THAT’S WHY I THINK FLORIDA IS
ULTIMATELY RIGHT.
IF YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE
YOU OVERWHELMING YOUR HOSPITALS
THE WAY WE DID IN NEW YORK IN
MARCH YOU NEED A TEMPORARY HALT
TO EVERYTHING TO DECREASE THE
NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THAT’S THE KEY FIGURE.
BY THE WAY, GUYS, MY NEW MODEL.
I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT I’M
CARRYING AROUND WITH ME THESE
DAYS.
>> Dana: DID YOU MAKE THAT
YOURSELF?
>> NO, SOMEBODY SENT IT TO ME.
SPIKE PROTEIN IS ACCURATE.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU.