State Opens Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Site In Clearwater

CLEARWATER, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that a new monoclonal antibody treatment site has opened in Clearwater.

The treatment site is located at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 409 S Old Coachman Road. It is open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m Monday through Saturday.

The city had previously considered opening a site at the old City Hall building on Osceola Avenue, which has been closed for years, before opting for the church site.

"Antibody infusions truly are helping those who have tested positive for COVID with reducing symptoms and we're happy to help out any way we can," Clearwater Chief of Emergency Management Jevon Graham said, noting that he spoke with the late city manager, Bill Horn, about the project the day before his sudden death from a heart attack on Aug. 14.

"He was all in favor of doing whatever we can to help the community," Graham said.

"I think we have a moral obligation to do anything we can to help during this time," Mayor Frank Hibbard said.

The site will treat about 300 people a day for the next 10 weeks at no cost. The intravenous treatment take about an hour followed by an hour of rest to ensure there are no side effects. Those receiving treatments must be referred by their physicians and then schedule an appointment.

This is the 18th site opened by the state. Others are located in Hillsborough, Pasco, Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Duval, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Orange, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie and Volusia counties.

Monoclonal antibody treatments can be prescribed by health care providers to those 12 years of age and older who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are at high risk for severe illness and hospitalization.

However, at DeSantis’ direction, the state surgeon general has signed a standing order that allows patients to receive this treatment without a prescription or referral if administered by an eligible health care provider.

The antibodies help the immune system recognize and respond effectively to the virus. According to the treatment guidelines, they should be administered as soon as possible after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

By providing access to these treatments at these new sites, DeSantis hopes to reduce the demand on hospital resources from the surge in coronavirus cases as a result of the more contagious delta variant and help those with health risks recover more quickly.

Monoclonal antibodies help the immune system recognize and respond more effectively to the COVID-19 virus. The treatments are authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under an Emergency Use Authorization.

In clinical trials, this treatment resulted in a 70 percent reduction in risk for hospitalization and death, and resulted in an 82 percent reduction in risk for contracting COVID-19 for people who were exposed to the virus by other members of their household.

High-risk patients should get treatment as quickly as possible after testing positive for COVID-19. Examples of medical conditions that may pose a higher risk for severe illness and could potentially benefit from this treatment include, but are not limited to:

• Older age (65 years of age and older)
• People who are overweight
• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Pregnancy
• Immunosuppressive disease or treatments
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic lung diseases
• Sickle cell disease
• Neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy
• Having medical-related technological dependence such as tracheostomy orgastrostomy.

Appointments can be made here.

The Florida Department of Health is also encouraging Floridians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Find out where the vaccine is offered here.