Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is Florida planning to stop counting ICU bed availability?

Saturday, June 27, 2020

By Peter Lagershausen

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YES

Instead of asking hospitals to report the number of occupied ICU beds—as is the practice across the country—the Florida Department of Health wants to instead track the number of in-hospital COVID-19 patients receiving "an intensive level of care." The Department maintains that this change is designed to more accurately track the number of cases that have become critical. "Some of the hospitals had told us they were just using their ICU wing as their COVID wing," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Critics have asserted that reframing the data is a step to sustain the state's reopening plans. "This is an attempt to cook the books and hide the number of patients with COVID-19," the head of an advocacy group for retirees asserted, according to a news site in the state.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

WUSF Public Media: Changing data on COVID-19 and ICU beds

Florida Phoenix: Objections to changes in state COVID-19 ICU data reporting

Nikki Fried: Tweet about Florida reporting

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.