UPDATE, January 6, 10:55am:
In a press conference Thursday morning, Governor DeSantis admitted state officials found 1 million unused COVID-19 tests in a warehouse. The admission came as DeSantis unveiled a plan to get 1 million COVID-19 tests to Florida’s seniors.
Kevin Guthrie joined DeSantis at today’s press conference. Guthrie, the head of Florida’s Department of Emergency Management said, “We had between 800k and a million Abbott test kits in our warehouse that did expire.”
Today’s revelation follows allegations by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried that the governor was stockpiling tests which were soon expiring. On Wednesday, the Governor’s office called that allegation “bizarre.”
The governor said he’s asking the federal government to extend the expiration date on these newly-discovered tests. They are awaiting an answer.
“We actually wanted to send a bunch of those [tests] to long-term care facilities at the beginning when we got them,” DeSantis said.
He went on to claim facilities didn’t have adequate staff on hand to accept them.
“So while families all over the state of Florida were waiting in line 4, 5 hours taken away from their vacation, families holidays and while the governor was sitting on these tests,” Fried said on Thursday.
“A million tests that should have gone out to nursing homes, state run facilities that have not been opened up. There are no testing sites statewide run testing sites in our state,” said Fried.
“The question is was this intentional or a complete derelict of his responsibilities? People of our state and people should be outraged,” Fried stated.
“I’m sorry he’s the governor of the state of Florida. The buck stops with you” Fried concluded.
April Masa was frustrated when she heard the state had expired tests. She said she had been trying for days to get tested after she became ill. Masa, like many people waiting in line, wanted an investigation to find out what happened.
“Someone needs to be held accountable to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
ORIGINAL REPORT, January 5:
LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried announced Wednesday in Lee County that she believes nearly one million COVID-19 tests have been stockpiled by the state’s executive branch of government.
The explosive allegation comes as thousands of people wait hours in long lines to receive a COVID-19 test. Fried visited a plant farm in Alva to announce a clean water initiative and plans to randomly test for nutrients being used around Florida.
“This is definitely something we have concrete information coming from inside the governor’s office,” Fried said. “It may not be his executive suite but certainly the different agencies he oversees but there is a stockpile of these tests either to expire Dec. 31 or soon thereafter.”
NBC2’s Dave Elias spoke with Fried after announcement in Lee County:
Dave Elias: What proof do you have to prove this?
Nikki Fried: I believe my staff this morning sent a public records request asking for this information.
Dave Elias: I reached out to the governor’s office. Press secretary Christina Pushaw said this is a very bizarre allegation and that they don’t have a stockpile. Your reaction?
Nikki Fried: It’s not a bizarre allegation when I know it’s to be true. We’ve not alleged that the governor’s office has them. It’s the agencies he controls.
Governor Ron DeSantis was in Collier County on Tuesday downplaying vaccines and testing while pushing more monoclonal treatment.Dave Elias: Your thoughts on the way the governor is handling this?
Nikki Fried: His leadership on this is void.
Dave Elias: The governor believes people are hysterically running out to get tested. Do you believe that?
Nikki Fried: I don’t know a single person that would sit in four or five hours over hysteria.
Dave Elias: Finally, there are a lot of people who do support the way the governor is handling this and concerned about their freedoms, who some argue are making the situation worse?
Nikki Fried: I do say to those individuals this of course is your choice at this point. There of course is no mandate. Nor should there ever be a mandate, and I’ve said that very publicly. I do not agree with mandates or bans. I think they’re two extremes, one from the governor’s office and one from the president’s office. It needs to be in the middle.
The governor’s press secretary did pass along the claims to the Department of Health. So far they have not responded.
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DeSantis admits to finding 1 million expired COVID-19 tests stockpiled in warehouse - nbc-2.com
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