'We are not shutting down': DeSantis insists spike will be short-lived as Florida breaks COVID-19 records

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to back down from his stance against mask mandates on Tuesday, even as the state broke its record again for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

With the much more contagious delta variant now spreading exponentially, Florida hit 11,515 hospitalized patients Tuesday, breaking last year's record for the third straight day. Hospitalizations have increased 11 times over the 1,000 COVID patients hospitalized in mid-June. About 2,400 patients are now in intensive care.

DeSantis said he expects hospitalizations to drop in the next couple of weeks, asserting that the spike is seasonal as Floridians spend more time together indoors to escape the summer heat and humidity.

DeSantis credited his response to COVID, which has focused on vaccinating seniors and nursing home residents, for the fact that fewer Floridians are dying now than last August. A year ago, Florida was averaging about 180 COVID deaths per day during an early August spike, but last week averaged 58 per day. Deaths don't spike until a few weeks after hospitalizations as the disease usually takes weeks to kill.

"Even among a lot of positive tests, you are seeing much less mortality than you did year-over-year," he said at a Miami-area press conference. "Would I rather have 5,000 cases among 20-year-olds or 500 cases among seniors? I would rather have the younger."

RELATED: Florida's COVID-19 hospitalizations reach all-time high of 11,515 patients

DeSantis also said "media hysteria" on the swelling numbers could cause people suffering from a heart attack or stroke to avoid going to an emergency room for fear of being infected. Doctors interviewed by The Associated Press acknowledged that this happened during the early months of the pandemic, but say it's no longer true, and that they're treating the usual number of cardiac patients.

Hospitals around the state report putting emergency room patients in beds in hallways and are documenting a noticeable drop in the age of COVID patients. Some hospitals are again banning visitors or postponing elective surgeries.

"They’re just coming in faster than we discharge them," said Justin Senior, CEO of Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance, which represents some of the state's largest hospitals caring for low-income patients. Still, he said few hospitals will run out of room as they can convert non-traditional spaces like conference areas into COVID wards if needed.

Dr. O’Neil Pyke, chief medical officer at Jackson North Medical Center in Miami, said his doctors, nurses and other staff are again facing exhaustion. Treating COVID patients is labor-intensive and many Florida hospitals are facing staffing shortages.

"Some nurses are describing this almost like a war-zone scenario," he said.

RELATED: Florida Department of Health moves forward on fines for vaccine passport ban violations

DeSantis is running for re-election next year while eyeing a 2024 presidential bid. A central tenant of his national image among conservatives is his refusal to impose mask mandates at schools and in public or to impose restrictions on businesses. He hit that message again Tuesday, saying he will not budge.

"We are not shutting down," DeSantis said. "We are going to have schools open. We are protecting every Floridian’s job in this state. We are protecting people’s small businesses. These interventions have failed time and time again throughout this pandemic, not just in the United States but abroad. They have not stopped the spread, particularly with delta."

DeSantis did encourage people to get vaccinated, saying while it is not a perfect barrier against the disease the shots do provide a strong defense against getting seriously ill. About 95% of those hospitalized and almost all recent deaths have been among the unvaccinated, hospital officials have said. The Florida counties with the lowest vaccination rates and some of the highest per-capita hospitalizations are heavily Republican.

"You can still test positive, but at the end of the day you can turn this from something that was much more threatening to a senior citizen, say, to something that is more manageable," said DeSantis, who has been vaccinated. "That is a huge, huge thing."

The spike has come as DeSantis and local officials have fought over how to protect children and staff as the school year begins.

RELATED: Two Florida school districts drop mask mandates after DeSantis threatened to withhold funding

Broward County's school board voted last week to require facial coverings when in-person learning resumes this month, enforcing the latest recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the board reversed itself after DeSantis barred mandates and threatened to cut funding from districts that don't comply.

Broward's board had responded to the latest science on the virus, which suggests that while vaccinated people are extremely unlikely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19, they can still spread infection among those who haven't had their shots. This revelation prompted the CDC to recommend "universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status."

The governor said he wants parents to decide whether their children should wear a mask to school.

The Broward district now says it will encourage, but not require, students age 12 and older, as well as teachers and staff to get vaccinated. It will also encourage the use of facial coverings.

"Safety remains our highest priority," the district's statement said.