MIAMI – Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference with Department of Health Deputy Secretary Dr. Kenneth Scheppke at Miami Dade College’s North Campus.
They spoke about the availability, or lack thereof, for certain monoclonal antibody treatments.
“This was a rash decision,” DeSantis said. “This was not something that we got any real advance notice for.”
DeSantis made his case at Miami-Dade College North Campus, right next to the state monoclonal distribution site that was shut down when the FDA pulled authorization for two monoclonals, suggesting they are ineffective against the COVID-19 omicron variant.
“We know definitively this stuff is great against the delta variant, and so why would you take that out of play,” DeSantis said.
A couple who currently have COVID-19 and lost their monoclonal treatment appointment also spoke at the event.
The case made on Wednesday was that since patients aren’t tested for variants, why take away an option for treatment.
Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Director of Emergency Medicine said he is doing studies and he is on the COVID task force.
Local 10 News’ Glenna Milberg asked DeSantis why the state didn’t keep its monoclonal distribution sites open to offer other authorized treatments.
“If they would replace the Regeneron and the Eli Lilly with Sotrovimab, we would absolutely keep the sites open 100 percent,” he said. “But I can’t have people come up and then not have the medication available to them. They’re just not giving us nearly enough.”
To view the full event, the video can be found below: