The Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has challenged whether people tested themselves prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, in comments which have since been criticised by people online.
Speaking during a press conference in Union County on Friday, Mr DeSantis disapproved of asymptomatic testing for the coronavirus, describing it as “essentially a lockdown by stealth”.
“Think about it. Before Covid, did anyone go out and seek testing to determine if they were sick?
“It’s usually you feel like you’re sick, and then you get tested to determine what you maybe have come down with. So this is kind of a new thing where they’ve been saying just go out and test all the time.
“If you test positive but you’re not sick or have symptoms, you may have to isolate. They don’t even know the test can’t tell you [if] you’re even infectious or not.
“So what happens is, blanket testing of healthy people, it leads to some kids being not in school. It leads to people not being able to go to work and doing some of this isolation which may not even be justified,” he said.
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However, Twitter users have gone on to answer Mr DeSantis’ question, pointing out examples such as a mammogram, blood tests and the need to check for conditions such as cancer:
Mammogram, Pap, colonoscopy, etc.
— Luisa Ramos Inc. (@LRTranslator) January 8, 2022
Mammograms, Pap smears, prostate exams, colonoscopies come to mind (just to name a few).
— ❤️RN🌞🌙 (@hoonani1726) January 8, 2022
Good point. Yeah I think I may have cancer at the moment, but why bother testing?
— John Shanks (@AJ_Shanks) January 8, 2022
Yes. I get tested for many things EVERY 3 MONTHS.
— Joy says #MaskUp 😷 (@finbarvano) January 8, 2022
Also people get colooscopies and mammograms regularly, when not sick.
We also have dental exams.
I’m a Lab Scientist and in my lab we run thousands of tests, many types of tests, every day. So, the answer is yes! 🤣
— JKieny (@jmkieny) January 8, 2022
I get a yearly blood test that looks for all manner of issues.
— Dr Audrey Glover (@DrPaperwasp) January 8, 2022
I have regular skin checks for skin cancers.
I have had regular checks for cervical cancer, breast cancer.
I wasn’t sick with them, but took the tests to make sure.
Called preventative medicine - you should try it
The answer is an indubitably and overwhelming yes. YES.
— 10tinyturtles (@10tinyturtles10) January 7, 2022
why yes i have been to the doctor before https://t.co/9hG7AdXQC1
— Alex McDaniel (@AlexMcDaniel) January 8, 2022
These assholes are beyond parody. https://t.co/jYKv46u02l
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) January 8, 2022
His wife’s cancer was diagnosed with a test women have been seeking out for decades. https://t.co/D1mEhmivs6
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) January 8, 2022
Mammograms would like a word https://t.co/DPgcolxwHn
— Emily Brandwin (@CIAspygirl) January 8, 2022
It's weird that he's standing in front of a sign that says "HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS." Think about it — did anybody used to track hurricanes? Doesn't this tracking just cause people to take shelter from hurricanes that might actually not do any damage to them at all?
— Joshua Tanzer (@jmtangerine) January 8, 2022
For a man so critical of tests, Mr DeSantis sure is testing our patience.
