Tag: Rebekah Jones

Miami newspaper slams Ron DeSantis for ‘not caring one bit’ about Floridians’ health during COVID-19

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On Friday, May 28, Florida’s Office of the Inspector General told attorneys for Rebekah Jones — a former data analyst for the Florida Health Department who openly criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — that she now enjoys whistleblower status. And the Miami Herald’s editorial board applauds this development in an editorial published over the 2021 Memorial Day Weekend, slamming DeSantis for not doing more to protect the health of Floridians during a deadly pandemic.

DeSantis, the Herald’s editorial board writes, “seemed to care not one bit about the health and well-being of most Floridians as the pandemic raged.” And Jones, according to the editorial board, “has gone up against an administration that has shamelessly concealed vital COVID information during the past year.”

“Unfortunately, the possibility of DOH manipulating information is not a stretch,” the editorial reads. “An investigation continues, and with the cover of whistleblower status, Jones will need to vigorously back up her allegations and the state, its defense. For now, Jones’ whistleblower victory stands to be a win over state secrecy for the rest of us.” Continue reading.

Former COVID-19 data chief: Outbreak ‘much worse’ in Florida than DeSantis administration lets on

AlterNet logoRebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist who in May claimed that she was fired for refusing to manipulate state coronavirus data to meet the Republican governor’s reopening criteria, has issued a new warning: The ongoing outbreak is “much, much worse” than it has been painted by the administration.

In a Monday interview with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, Jones, who built the state government’s coronavirus data portal, identified a number of failures since she left her state job. Florida recently posted the highest daily caseload in a single day across all 50 U.S. states.

For instance, the southern state combined antibody test data with viral test data. Salon reported in May that the practice, which can obscure hotspots and misrepresent percentages, warps data not only at the state level. It may also trickle up to the national level at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading.