Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Refusing to wear a face mask or take the threat of COVID-19 seriously is a badge of honor among some far-right Republicans, but that outlook can have tragic consequences. In Florida, St. Johns County Commissioner Paul Waldron — a Republican supporter of President Donald Trump — is now hospitalized with COVID-19 after voting against a county measure that called for mandatory mask wearing.

The Florida Politics website reports that according to his daughter, Ashley Waldron Zapata, Waldron is "still sedated and in critical condition…. The hospital is working hard to keep him comfortable and continuously monitoring him."

Waldron, according to Zapata, "went into septic shock" and was in the "most critical of conditions." However, she indicated that his condition is improving.

Zapata said of her father, "His blood gas levels have improved today, and numbers are holding. Although we are not out of the woods, today has been a good day."

Florida is among the Sun Belt states that has recently seen a troubling surge in the number of new COVID-19 infections.