This tweet from Grant Stern is starting to go viral featuring Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, confirming that almost 1 million rapid at-home Covid tests expired during the last week of the year.
But the whole story is more complicated than this edited clip suggests:
In his 4th press briefing this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finally got asked the question I wanted to ask at the 1st, before I was kicked out.
Did the state let nearly a million covid tests expire last week while he was on Christmas break as omicron surged?
Answer: YES. pic.twitter.com/QtZtOQDEJ2
— Grant Stern is boosted! (@grantstern) January 6, 2022
You can listen to Guthrie’s entire answer starting at 34:46 in the link here.
In summary, the state had these tests in a warehouse and they expired about three months ago. Cases at the time were dropping fast and there just wasn’t any demand for the tests according to Guthrie’s explanation. The state applied for and was granted a 3-month extension for the tests which then expired at the end of the year. Florida has since asked HHS for a second extension and is waiting for approval to use the tests:
Before this edited clip goes mega-viral, here's the whole thing starting at 34:46. According to "Kevin at DEM," the tests had already expired and had a 3-month ext until the last week in Dec. The state has applied to HHS for an additional 3-month ext.https://t.co/EH4x7xnsXu https://t.co/VFaSDS2CJG pic.twitter.com/Blopzf3hZV
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) January 6, 2022
If you recall, Abbott Labs was actually *destroying* tests at the end of the summer due to a lack of demand as tests in the South had plummeted. Whoops:
One reason it’s currently so tough to find an at-home covid tests might be because in June, Abbott Labs shut down the factories that manufactured them, laid off all the workers, and even destroyed testing equipment. https://t.co/NM0ATDdYiT h/t @NYMag
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) December 18, 2021
Now, would it have been nice to have all these tests distributed before they expired? Sure. But this isn’t the dunk Dems and Nikki Fried think it is:
At Ron DeSantis' press conference, he just admitted that they have a stockpile of "800,000 to a million" expired COVID-19 tests they never sent out. They expired (after being extended) between 12/26-30/21).
Just like I told you.
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) January 6, 2022
Exactly. *This* is what she’s arguing?
so, you'd send out expired and virtually useless tests to score political points?
— Tony FJB Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) January 6, 2022
As for this editor’s experience, I had no issue picking up free at-home tests at a Miami-Dade County library on December 31 so the state was doing something right:
For libs who think Fla is a Covid wasteland, I just stopped by the library and got some free tests. no line. Like I walked up and they handed them to me. Thank you @GovRonDeSantis! pic.twitter.com/f0B9ra4Vtr
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) December 31, 2021
DeSantis also announced today that he’s shipping one million tests to at-risk people, which for some reason is getting lost in the expired-test BS:
Once again, @GovRonDeSantis puts seniors first! Florida will ship 1 million at home COVID tests to Florida’s state nursing homes and assisted living facilities. While Democrats only like to talk rather than do the work, Gov. DeSantis is solving problems.https://t.co/faLN8Jtbfv
— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) January 6, 2022
And we know the only reason Dems are making an issue of it is that their guy failed so badly:
If tests were plentiful, getting through these next few weeks would be much easier.https://t.co/cq8G4UlIwq
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) January 6, 2022
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