One of Florida’s largest newspapers has pleaded with Ron DeSantis to take the threat of Covid-19 more seriously.

       The Orlando Sentinel published an editorial begging the governor of the Sunshine State to stop “tweeting about pythons” and turn his attention to the ever-growing issues around the coronavirus pandemic, including the state’s overwhelmed healthcare system and lagging vaccination rates.

       The paper acknowledged that Mr DeSantis is a “prolific tweeter” and therefore should use the social media platform to encourage his constituents to get vaccinated.

       According to their calculations, Mr DeSantis posted 130 times on Twitter and only mentioned getting vaccinated against Covid once.

       Topics that Mr DeSantis has tweeted about include the Texas border, the protests in Cuba, the passing of veteran Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden, and the state’s yearly python hunt. The paper noted that the governor tweeted about the snake event twice.

       It editorial board wrote, "That’s two more times than he posted about the crush of COVID patients pushing the limits of Florida’s hospital system."

       "Two more times than he posted to console the hundreds of families who lost loved ones during this summer’s COVID outbreak,” the paper continued. “And two more times than he posted a plea for his fellow Floridians to get vaccinated to spare themselves, their families and their neighbors from COVID’s worst consequences."

       The piece also touched upon the governor’s support for monoclonal antibody therapies for people infected with the virus, which he tweeted about 11 times since 5 August.

       They said there was “silence” about prevention of infection. The Sentinel went on to cite a news report that said a significant donor to Mr DeSantis is a shareholder in the manufacturer of the remedy.

       They said that other Republican governors were urging their state’s populations to get vaccinated, such as Kay Ivey, the governor of Alabama. Vaccination is considered to be a vital way of out the pandemic, according to the CDC and Dr Anthony Fauci. Being vaccinated against the coronavirus decreases the chances of severe infection, hospitalisation and death from Covid.

       “Help us get through this crisis. Use the power of your bully pulpit – including your Twitter account – to save people from suffering by getting the COVID vaccine,” the editorial concluded. “We’re begging you. Again.”

       The Independent reached out to Mr DeSantis’ office for comment.