ORLANDO, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that Camping World Stadium in Orlando is now a monoclonal antibody treatment clinic.
“We’ve spoken to different systems and ask them ‘Of your admitted patients for COVID, what percentage of them had received a monoclonal antibody prior to being admitted,’ and they say well over 90% of their current admissions did not get the monoclonal antibody treatment,” DeSantis said.
The clinic at the stadium is set to be open seven days a week and will be able to treat up to 320 patients per day, according to the governor. The site does require appointments, which can be made online here.
[TRENDING: Death toll from Haiti earthquake nears 1,300 | US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly | Here’s where Fla. unemployment accounts stand after PIN resets]
“We saw a need to — one just publicize it more — but to also to expand access,” the governor said. “I know there are different transfusion centers or whatnot, which is good — but even a big health system, they’re typically doing about 50 patients a day, which is helpful — but we think once more people know about it, there’s going to be an even bigger demand.”
The state also opened a similar clinic in Jacksonville and the governor said plans were in the works to open more across the state and even to have multiple such clinics in Central Florida, though he did not give any information on where those clinics might open.
[WATCH: Here’s an inside look at a monoclonal antibody treatment facility in Central Florida]
“We want to send the message if you do test positive and you’re somebody — particularly if you’re high risk for severe COVID outcomes, elderly folks immunocompromised morbid obesity, diabetes, kidney problems, chronic heart or lung conditions — this is something that really if done early, can make a big difference, but the key is early intervention,” Desantis said.
DeSantis stressed that these monoclonal antibody treatments are free. He also pushed that people should still get vaccinated.
“Having a successful effective early treatment is not mutually exclusive with vaccines. It’s not an either-or — you want to do both,” he said.
The announcement of the antibody clinic came the same day Orange County leaders announced that the Camping World Stadium vaccine site would no longer be offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The governor also addressed the issue.
“No sites are getting them now because we have not gotten a shipment from the federal government since May 2,” DeSantis said. “They’ve been farmed out as needed, but we’re now at the point where the stockpile is depleted. So, if there are more J&J that comes in, then obviously it’ll be going out.”
To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.