State-Run Monoclonal Antibodies Clinic To Open In Manatee: Servia

BRADENTON, FL — Manatee County will be the next location of a state-run monoclonal antibody therapy clinic, Commissioner Misty Servia shared on her Facebook page.

“The state has opened several of these clinics from Jacksonville to Miami, and we will be the sixth in the state to establish such a clinic,” she wrote.

The clinic will open at Manatee Memorial Hospital, which is located at 206 2nd Street E. in Bradenton.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will be at the hospital Saturday to announce the clinic’s opening, Servia said.

Though the commissioner said Manatee Memorial location is Florida’s sixth clinic of its kind, there are eight state-run treatment centers listed on the Florida Department of Health website. These clinics are located in Hudson, Jacksonville, Merritt Island, Orlando, Ormond Beach, Pembroke Pines, Tampa and West Palm Beach, according to the FDOH.

Monoclonal antibody treatments can prevent hospitalization or death in patients sick with COVID-19, FDOH said. Anyone 12 and older who is at high risk for severe illness from coronavirus is eligible for this treatment.

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The treatment is free, and no prescription is required. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals can receive monoclonal antibodies.

DeSantis said the state plans to open at least 15 of these treatment centers, which are designed to relieve the pressure on Florida’s hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge.

"The sooner you get a monoclonal antibody treatment, the more effective it will be at keeping you out of the hospital and saving your life," the governor said.

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