Florida to launch antibody treatment "strike teams" as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals

Florida is launching a rapid response unit to administer monoclonal antibody therapies to residents fighting COVID-19, and developing "strike teams" to deliver the treatment directly to long-term care facilities, as Florida struggles with record-high hospitalizations. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state's efforts to increase monoclonal antibody therapies on Thursday. The first rapid response unit is opening in Jacksonville, and the state is considering additional locations throughout the state. Federal health officials said Thursday they deployed five times as many ventilators to Florida in July as they did in June, as the Delta variant tears through communities, especially threatening the unvaccinated. "I am proud to announce the opening of this rapid response unit to offer lifesaving monoclonal antibody therapies for Floridians," DeSantis said in a statement Thursday. "We also look forward to setting up a long-term site at the Jacksonville Public Library and additional long-term sites across the state. These treatments have been proven successful, with clinical trials resulting in a 70% reduction in hospitalization and death for COVID patients."