DeSantis: New Jacksonville monoclonal treatment center will help reduce hospitalizations

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis connected Thursday announced a caller accelerated effect portion successful downtown Jacksonville that volition administer monoclonal antibody attraction to high-risk residents successful the aboriginal stages of a COVID-19 infection.

It’s portion of the state’s effort to grow monoclonal antibody treatments crossed Florida as cases and hospitalizations proceed to rise.

Hospitals successful Northeast Florida person been stressed amid the surge of the coronavirus delta variant, and DeSantis said the attraction that has exigency usage authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is 1 of the champion ways to trim hospitalizations successful the authorities extracurricular of getting vaccinated.

“This is the best, the champion changeable we’ve got close present to support radical retired of the infirmary and support them safe,” helium said.

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DeSantis said helium was besides forming onslaught teams to instrumentality them to nursing homes, similar helium did past twelvemonth erstwhile wide investigating began. He besides said the state’s surgeon wide volition contented an bid to marque definite sites disposable to radical who conscionable definite criteria wherever they won’t request a doc prescription.

Across the state, the fig of radical hospitalized with COVID-19 continued to emergence Thursday from 15,071 to 15,358 patients. More than 3,200 of those patients are successful ICUs, taking up astir 49% of the intensive attraction portion beds. Those hospitalized are mostly unvaccinated and younger than those seen successful hospitals during past summer’s surge, doctors person said.

Emergency departments successful immoderate areas are truthful overcrowded that doctors are sending patients location with small, portable pulse oximeters and oxygen truthful they tin escaped up beds for sicker patients.

MORE | What are monoclonal antibodies and however bash they dainty COVID?

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The pop-up site, located connected East Bay Street connected the grassy erstwhile location of the Duval County Courthouse, volition statesman administering the treatments to qualified patients starting astatine 12 p.m.

“This antibody treatment, arsenic the politician said, is not good known by the community,” said Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. “It’s effective, it works. I was connected a telephone yesterday with each of the infirmary CEOs successful municipality and we had this discussion. People request to cognize this exists. They request to cognize that this portion is present if they don’t person entree to their wellness attraction provider.”

The attraction uses monoclonal antibodies, which are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s quality to combat disconnected harmful viruses similar the coronavirus. They are effectual successful providing patients that person been diagnosed with COVID-19 immoderate alleviation from the symptoms, but lone if hospitals person the resources and unit to administer it. DeSantis mentioned bully candidates were aged radical and those with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, morbid obesity and sickle cell.

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“You privation to get this arsenic soon arsenic imaginable if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19,” Dr. Mohammed Reza, an infectious illness expert, told News4Jax. “It’s disposable for radical who are symptomatic. There are hazard qualifications that immoderate installation you are getting it from volition find if you are a campaigner for it. The earlier the better.”

DeSantis, who opposes disguise mandates successful schools and has barred businesses and municipalities from requiring impervious of vaccination, said helium believes if much radical had known astir the attraction option, Florida hospitalizations would not person reached grounds levels successful caller weeks.

DeSantis referenced the monoclonal attraction made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the aforesaid attraction that former President Donald Trump erstwhile called a “cure” for COVID-19 aft it helped him bushed the virus.

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DeSantis said “a batch more” Regeneron volition beryllium coming to Florida soon.

Right now, lone radical with referrals from their doctors are capable to person the attraction astatine the Jacksonville halfway but DeSantis said helium hopes to grow entree successful the coming weeks.

The City of Jacksonville told News4Jax it is moving to determination the installation distant from the aged courthouse batch and into the Main Library downtown adjacent week. When it goes into the room the metropolis expects the diligent capableness to either triple oregon quadruple.

At the site, there’s a 20 infinitesimal mentation clip and patients volition beryllium fixed injections with 4 syringes, 2 successful the emotion handles and 2 successful the backs of each arm.

Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital is 1 section infirmary already offering the treatment.

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