FORT MYERS, Fla. – Following weeks of opening monoclonal antibody clinics across the state, several Floridians touted the treatment following their bouts with COVID-19 during Gov. Ron DeSantis’ news conference Wednesday.
The governor announced in Fort Myers that there are now 21 sites offering Regeneron-brand treatments operating in Florida that have treated over 40,000 people and he says accounts for the “decline in hospital admissions for COVID.″
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“We believe many of these people will obviously have their symptoms resolved, but we believe a number of them would have been hospitalized but for this treatment, and we believe it’s already saving lives,” he said.
DeSantis was also in Viera Wednesday afternoon at the Department of Health talking about the treatment.
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While the state is seeing more people utilize these sites, the governor reiterated the sites were opened in an effort to fill a gap for what was being done for those being infected, vaccinated or unvaccinated. He said these treatments have done well for people with underlying health issues and those likely to have severe COVID.
“If you look over the past, this summer for example, you know, the folks who are being hospitalized, tend to be unvaccinated. If you’re vaccinated, your chance of being hospitalized is much less. People who do get infected and do the monoclonal antibody, their chance of having their symptoms resolved short of hospitalization increases, so you’re much less likely to get hospitalized if you do this treatment,” the governor said.
A fourth-grade teacher from the Fort Myers area said she has underlying health issues and was the first patient at the clinic she visited for the antibody treatment.
“I had no idea what this was a month ago and so I just knew I had to do something for my family, so I feel that it helped me. I feel it save me from ICU and so I’m very fortunate to have heard about it so quickly and get treatment, so quickly,” she said.
Tony Ramos, a law enforcement officer, said he had a fever and after making an appointment to receive the treatment, he “started feeling a lot better.”
A woman who spoke after Ramos said after having a 102 fever and muscle spasms, she started to feel a difference six hours following the treatment.
“My fever broke within 24 hours. I felt like a new person. And it was a big deal because everything on me hurt. My hair hurt, I was so sick,” she said.
DeSantis said these treatments and vaccinations have been “the two most effective interventions” for keeping people out of the hospital. He also reiterated regarding Florida COVID-19 data reporting that he will “drill down” to be able to show data at the county level.
For more information on the antibody treatment or where to receive treatment, click here.