ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida is opening a monoclonal antibody treatment center at Camping World Stadium in Orlando to help COVID-19 patients recover, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said "monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses."
DeSantis said that, if used early when COVID-19 symptoms first surface, monoclonal antibody treatments like Regeneron have proven to "radically reduce" the chance of hospitalizations.
"At the end of the day, reducing hospital admissions has gotta be a top priority," DeSantis said. "People don't go the hospital to begin with, they're gonna recover."
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The governor said the Camping World Stadium site will be open seven day a week and will treat up to 320 patients a day. He added that more monoclonal antibody treatment centers are being planned throughout the state.
"This something that really, if done early, can make a big difference," DeSantis said. "That's really the key. Early intervention."
Last week, Florida rolled out a rapid response mobile unit in Jacksonville to deliver monoclonal antibody treatments for people infected with the coronavirus.
