Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been one of the left’s favorite targets, especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 saga. Democrats and the activist media have pilloried the governor for refusing to enact the same type of onerous and draconian restrictions that other states have imposed on their residents. They claimed he was responsible for getting Floridians killed, while paying very little attention to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who actually did get people killed through his COVID policy.

However, the latest data shows that DeSantis’ approach to the pandemic isn’t as deadly as the left hoped argued. According to a chart published by The New York Times, Florida’s rate of COVID-19 infections is far lower than even the states that have embraced mask and vaccine mandates, and other measures.

The chart shows that Florida’s 14-day rate of COVID cases dropped by 48%. The Sunshine state’s case rate per 100,000 was 13. This means Florida had the third-lowest rate of infections last week — coming in just behind Connecticut and Hawaii, which both have 11 cases per 100,000.

According to Click Orlando, this was the fifth week in which cases declined. WDW News Today reported that on Wednesday, the state “reported 2,505 new cases of COVID-19, making the 7-day average below 3,000 cases for the first time since July 7” and that “the positivity rate has been declining since mid-August.”

During the summer months, COVID rates and hospitalizations surged in Florida. Democrats took this as an opportunity to attack DeSantis. However, rates also rose in almost every other state. While addressing an audience in August, DeSantis said:

What we’re going to see is that — you’re already starting to see — but because you don’t have the herd immunity through the vaccinations, you’re going to start to see winter and fall waves in the Northern states. We have a summer season, but you’re going to see that, and so I think that that’s something that should be stressed more and more.

In September, the governor announced that he obtained more doses of crucial monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID patients despite the fact that President Joe Biden had cut the supply to Florida. “We should be doing everything we can to get patients monoclonal antibody treatments, not cutting allocations of treatment like the Biden administration has done,” he said.

Many viewed the president’s actions as being politically motivated. High-profile leftists have downplayed the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies, along with every other potential remedy that is not the vaccine.

Florida’s COVID rates have fluctuated just like most other states. But despite the left’s claims that DeSantis’ refusal to enact strict measures ostensibly to combat the spread of the virus, it seems clear this has not had a drastic impact on the numbers compared to other states.