An FDA decision forced the closure of Florida's state-run sites offering monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID.
However, Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris says that doesn’t mean all sites have been shut down as some antibodies in use still have good outcomes against multiple variants.
“The monoclonal antibody infusion site that we have open here in Sanford again, which has been open since early 2021, is offering the sotrovimab that’s a solution that was not taken away by the FDA that is actually showing very, very good results,” Harris says.
Harris says that’s why some county sites will remain open for residents, especially those who are sick with other variants of COVID-19.
The federal agency revoked emergency use of the therapies made by Regeneron and Ely Lilly, however, the drug made by GlaxoSmithKline remains in use.
“The challenge of course is that we don’t know what variant a person has so any treatment is is at least helpful especially if the person has delta variant,” Harris says.
The FDA has identified sotrovimab as a therapy "expected to work against the omicron variant" and is authorized "to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death."
For a list of sites that are still open in Seminole visit,www.prepareseminole.org.
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