Vaccination picks up in Florida, as cases rise 2:50
(CNN) -
As the delta variant of the coronavirus fuels the increase in COVID-19 cases in the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that a rapid response unit will be deployed to administer monoclonal antibody treatments to infected residents.
"This is the most effective treatment we have found so far for people infected with COVID-19," DeSantis said.
"This, applied early and appropriately, has the ability to reduce the likelihood of being hospitalized."
What is the FDA-approved coronavirus monoclonal antibody treatment?
Monoclonal antibodies are intensely concentrated versions of convalescent plasma made in a laboratory.
The antibodies come from people who have recovered from the coronavirus.
Researchers take the blood, select the strongest antibodies, and turn them into a drug.
Speaking from Jacksonville, DeSantis said the rapid response unit will begin delivering monoclonal antibodies in the city starting at noon Thursday.
The process will begin with referral from health systems, but the state is looking at how to allow individuals to make their own appointments, he said.
The intention is to expand the model to other parts of the state, the governor said.
The state will also deploy response teams to long-term care facilities, DeSantis said, and the state "is going to bring a lot more Regeneron to Florida."
(Regeneron is a company that makes a monoclonal antibody treatment.)
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DeSantis does not expect Covid-19 to be eradicated, he said.
"This is going to be with us for a long time," he said.
"The covid is not going to disappear. We are going to have future trends. It is something natural."
Earlier this week, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official said Florida had received 200 respirators and 100 high-flow nasal cannula kits from the Strategic National Reserve (SNS). Although DeSantis told reporters he was unaware of the shipment and doubted it was true.
The federal government shipped respirators to Florida, but Governor DeSantis says he is not aware of the shipment
Florida Department of Health spokesman Weesam Khoury confirmed that the state had requested the equipment, but told CNN in a statement that Florida does not have a shortage of respirators.
Khoury described the request as "a proactive measure to ensure that there are consistent resources available in the state reserve for deployment."
Coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in Florida, and the latest weekly average of new daily cases has increased nearly nine-fold in the past month, to 19,250, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
The new weekly statistics for Florida are expected to be released this Friday.
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Vaccinations are also on the rise, with more than 50,000 people in Florida starting their vaccination protocol every day for the past week, the highest average daily rate since May 2020, data shows.
- CNN's Eliot C. McLaughlin, Virginia Langmaid, Deidre McPhillips, Kaitlan Collins and Devan Cole contributed reporting.
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