TAMPA — Gov. Ron DeSantis is announcing his plan to boost Florida's supply of monoclonal antibody treatments.


What You Need To Know

  • Gov. DeSantis said the state has been able to acquire 3,000 doses of sotrovimab

  • DeSantis made the announcement at Florida Department of Health offices in Tampa on Thursday

  • The governor again criticized the Biden administration

He said the state has been able to acquire 3,000 doses of sotrovimab, an antibody treatment approved by the FDA in May.

DeSantis made the announcement at Florida Department of Health offices in Tampa on Thursday.

He criticized the Biden administration for cutting the number of Regeneron antibody treatments being sent to Florida.

The governor said Florida is only expecting to receive about 18,000 doses of Regeneron this coming week, compared to the 30,000 doses that were being sent to state-run clinics previously.

"So the fact the Biden administration is doing this, I think is wrong. The implications I think are going to be negative. It may mean less access, we may have to close sites, the hospitals may not have what they need. A whole host of things. So this is just fundamentally wrong. At the same time we can't just sit on the sidelines and carp about this so the announcement today is we've secured a shipment of sotrovimab," he said.

Sotrovimab can only be given through an IV.

He said it will help bridge some of the gaps from the reduction in Regeneron being sent to the state, but he also warns 3,000 doses will go fast.

DeSantis said monoclonal treatments have proven effective in helping people who get COVID-19 if they get the treatments early.

"This has really significant positive implications. You get it early and it makes a difference. We don't want to see that stop, we want to see other states embrace what Florida has done," he said.