DeSantis says he's 'happy' with COVID trends in Jacksonville even as ICU beds hit capacity

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ignored the dramatic increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations in his state and instead said that he was "happy" about how things were going in the city of Jacksonville, which has been the epicenter of the current crisis.

Florida Politics cited DeSantis Tuesday while he was at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office talking about the increase in cases. According to him, if trends are "durable," the worst could be over of a "summer wave."

"We're happy with seeing those trends, and we think they're likely to continue doing that," DeSantis said.

That conflicts with the increase in cases that has been steady over the past several weeks, particularly in Duval County.

"DeSantis said the seven-day average for Duval County decreased 18% since July 31," said Florida Politics. "Emergency room visits in Duval County for COVID-like illnesses were down 14%. And the (retransmission) value is now .83, "which means you're likely to see a decline."

However, hospitalizations in the county are now at a record high, according to data compiled by the New York Times, and intensive care units are filled to the brim.

You can see the statewide data in the charts below:

Zooming in on the past 30 days shows a steady increase.

The county's hospitalizations are even worse.