Gov. DeSantis says state will get 30K vials of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Saturday the state will get 30,000 vials of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients.

He made the announcement from Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine.

The drug was once used to treat Ebola, and it is helping hospitals treat coronavirus patients.

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DeSantis said the availability of treatment options has helped kept Florida’s death rate low compared to the nationwide average. Florida’s death rate is about 1.5%.

He said most of the cases are asymptomatic, and the state is working to turn around results more quickly because people are unlikely to stay home for seven to 10 days if they have no symptoms.

DeSantis said on average, visits to emergency rooms are declining statewide, but enough patients are hospitalized that many hospitals felt they would run out of Remdesivir without help from the state.

Watch the full press conference below:

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Cox Media Group