New data says the state’s weekly average of daily coronavirus cases has jumped almost ninefold in the last month
“This is the most effective treatment that we’ve yet encountered for people who are infected with Covid-19,” DeSantis said. “This, applied early and properly, has the ability to reduce your likelihood of being hospitalized.”
Speaking from Jacksonville, DeSantis said beginning at noon Thursday, the rapid response unit will begin delivering monoclonal antibodies in the city.
The process will begin with referrals from the health systems, but the state is looking to move to allowing individuals to make appointments, he said. The intention is to expand the model to other parts of the state, the governor said.
The state will also be deploying strike teams to long-term care facilities as well, DeSantis said, and the state “is going to bring in a lot more Regeneron into Florida.” (Regeneron is a company that makes a monoclonal antibody treatment.)
DeSantis does not expect Covid-19 to be eradicated, he said.
“This is going to be with us for a long time,” he said. “Covid’s not going to go away. We’re going to have future trends. That’s just natural.”
Earlier this week, a US Department of Health and Human Services official said Florida had been sent 200 ventilators and 100 high-flow nasal cannula kits from the Strategic National Stockpile, though DeSantis told reporters he was unaware of the shipment and doubted it was true.
Coronavirus cases have been spiking in Florida, with the latest weekly average of new daily cases increasing almost ninefold in the last month, to 19,250, according to a CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. New weekly statistics for Florida are expected to be released Friday.
Vaccinations are rising, too, with more than 50,000 people in Florida initiating vaccination each day over the past week — the highest average daily pace since May 2020, the data shows.
CNN’s Eliott C. McLaughlin, Virginia Langmaid, Deidre McPhillips, Kaitlan Collins and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
