A near-constant motif, embedded in lesser stories about other things and also given full attention in dedicated ones, is Florida's coronovirus spread. Florida is regularly cast as a treacherous hotbed for covid outbreaks. I believe they are engaging in a slow burn of the topic so that it embeds itself into minds, in anticipation of the RNC being there in August. NPR
loves the fact that Florida is a hotbed for coronavirus for this reason. They are long-play building up a reputation of absolute virulent promiscuity so that they can slam and criticize the RNC (read Trump) for going there... probably even if the numbers level out by then.
This looks like more than just a wishful conspiracy theory when, even according to
their own data (which we'll grant as authoritative for the sake of argument):
- there are several other states with higher case loads, including the two states with significantly more people in them -- California and Texas -- but also New York and New Jersey.
- there are other states with faster rates of covid expansion. Percent change of Idaho compared to 2 weeks ago (at #1) is 430% while Florida (#2) is almost half that at 226%.
- Florida is one among three states (South Carolina and Arizona) that are in the highest tier of concern for growth.
- several other states have higher cases per 100k people (which represents a state's general population) For example, Florida (740 per 100k) is lower than: Alabama (795), Arizona (1,155), Connecticut (1,306), Delaware (1,182), DC (1.469), Georgia (793), Illinois (1,136), Iowa (935), Louisiana (1,294), Maryland (1,123), Massachusetts (1,580), Mississippi (937), Nebraska (998 ), New Jersey (1,936), New York (2,206), Rhode Island (1,591), South Dakota (772), and is tied with Virginia.
- even looking at one stat that Florida is one of the most impressive in -- total number of cases per week vs last week -- there are other states that approximate it and some that exceed, almost double, its relative growth. The jump in Florida's cases last week to this week was from about 3,756 to 7,140... a lot (89.6 % increase). But percentage wise, Louisiana's went from 549 to 1,100 (100.4 %) and Idaho's also from 110 to 281 ( 155.4 %).
So there really isn't one or even two stats NPR can point at to justify why Florida and only Florida is getting all the disproportionate attention here. You could say that it is the largest state with the most increase in cases in the past (1) week that is also the most populated, but that doesn't hold up to the fearmongering either, because
Florida is 8th in the country when it comes to population density; behind New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and New York.
So yeah Florida is having a really bad time right now, but NPR are really capitalizing on the myopic stats. They're broadcasting their play call in doing so; priming their audience to make the RNC to Florida seem like the most horrible and egregious, country-injuring move possible... of course while being silent on why the coronavirus is escalating in young people and areas that saw the protests... some of the most concentrated and densely packed cities in America.
Oh one final note, you know in what state cases didn't really get out of hand so far? Oklahoma. Statewide, cases are pretty steady. In
Tulsa OK specifically, the rate of coronavirus cases doubled at about the 9-10 day mark after Trump's rally. But this tells us what everyone already knows; getting together...
no matter what you are getting together for... WILL spread the virus. And
news outlets absolutely pounced on the opportunity to let you know about
one of those new cases.
The absolute hypocrisy of the left to blast Trump and his supporters out of one side of their mouth for gathering and then poke fun at how empty the rally was out the other, all while mindlessly denying that the orders-of-magnitude-larger and more wide-spread protests DINDU NUFFIN to the case load is probably the finest instance of collective denial and mass gaslighting I've ever witnessed.
NPR will also get very flustered and apocalyptic when they describe what we are now facing with this second wave, saying things like "how we act now will make or break us". Oh
now? Phew. If it was even just two weeks ago, we'd all be fucked! It's like they've poked a portion of their eye out so that they can have a manufactured blind spot over this... and they're more comfortable that way. With part of their vision gouged out.