On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state of Florida has provided nearly 30,000 monoclonal antibody treatments to patients statewide at the 21 state treatment sites.
Governor DeSantis was joined by Lieutenant Governor Nuñez; federal, state, and local officials; recovered treatment recipients; and family members of treatment recipients at three stops to discuss the life-saving benefits of the treatment.
“As of this morning, the state of Florida through our 21 different sites has been able to provide nearly 30,000 treatments of monoclonal antibodies all throughout our state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “If you look at the numbers, admissions for COVID to hospitals are down, visits to the emergency department for COVID-like illness are down, and the COVID-positive hospital census is also down.”
“I was on day nine [of symptoms] when I received the Regeneron treatment,” said Toma Dean, a mother of two who received monoclonal antibodies at the Jacksonville site. “I had a 105-degree fever, oxygen levels in the 70s and 80s, had been given fluids at the hospital, and was sent home. I was heading for an ICU bed or high flow oxygen, there was no doubt in my mind. I have two kids; I need to be here for them. I went to the Regeneron site where a photo of me went viral. If you look at that photo and you think you’re half that sick, get up today and go to a Regeneron site. It will save your life.”
“Vaccines are the key,” said Dr. Ulyee Choe, Director of the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. “And while we have seen some breakthrough cases, it still remains effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Vaccines are readily available in the pharmacies, medical clinics, and health departments locally and we continue to work with our partners — churches, businesses — to really push it out there. The monoclonal antibody therapy is certainly an important tool in the toolbox, shown to decrease hospitalization risk by 70 to 75 percent. I want to thank the Governor for making that access available at our site at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.”
To find locations to receive monoclonal antibody treatments around the entire state, please visit floridahealthcovid19.gov.
Support journalism by clicking here to our GoFundMe or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon