The St. Cloud Civic Center is one of 25 locations in Florida offering the monoclonal antibody treatment. Through Monday, it will have served just over 700 patients since opening on Sept. 7, about 50 per day, with highs of 95 and 90 on Sept. 8 and 9.
Treatments are available daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at no cost. The clinic will move from the Civic Center’s Building B to Building A on Thursday, said Daniel Hamilton, a contractor for Garner Environmental, who is overseeing operations of seven sites.
Hamilton said he’s delivered flyers to the area’s testing sites, including the Infantry Park site in Buenaventura Lakes.
“Anything we can do to get the word out,” he said.
State records show over 40,000 Floridians have received a dose either intravenously or by injection.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has fully supported the treatments, appearing at the opening of many, including St. Cloud’s two weeks ago that followed localish ones opening in Orlando and Melbourne. To meet the increased demand anticipated by having 25 clinics open, the state had asked for 70,000 doses from the federal government.
But as of last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services switched from “taking orders” to distributing doses to states based on weekly reports of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, as well as current antibody inventories in each state. It’s then up to the states to decide the areas it gets distributed.
For example, the HHS said it distributed 27,850 doses of REGN-COV to Florida last week, the most current stats available. That’s more than any other state.
“The new system will help ensure consistent availability of COVID-19 mAbs and provide health departments with the flexibility to get these critical drugs where they are needed most,” the HHS said on its website this week. “HHS will continue to monitor product utilization rates, COVID-19 case burden, and overall availability of monoclonal antibody therapeutics to determine when a shift back to the normal direct ordering process may be possible.”
The treatment became available in Florida in mid-August. The state reached an all-time high in hospital admissions for the disease on Aug. 23, with a rolling seven-day average over 17,000.
Whether or not directly related to monoclonal antibodies, that figure on Sept. 16 was just under 11,000; the number was 12,000 at the height of the Summer 2020 wave in July.
Anyone 12 years of age or older who contracted or has been exposed to COVID-19 is a candidate for antibody treatment regardless of vaccination status. Those over 65 and those with mitigating medical conditions— cancer, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, certain heart conditions or a weakened immune system—are also candidates.
The best time to get the treatment is four to 10 days after exposure to it, meaning soon after testing positive is the best timing. Here’s a reminder for
Here’s a reminder for testing sites in Osceola, along with most CVS and Walgreens locations:
Florida Department of Health (1875 Fortune Road, Kissimmee) — PCR testing available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Results will be available in 1-2 days. Registration is available at https://curative.com/ sites/31240. Osceola County is
Osceola County is partnering with Nomi Health to provide walk-up rapid antigen and PCR tests from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. No appointments are needed, however patients may preregister their information at http://testing.nomihealth. com/signup/fl.
Daily: 65th Infantry Park (301 Buenaventura Boulevard, Kissimmee)
Mondays: St. Cloud Library (810 13th St.)
Tuesdays: West Osceola Library (305 Campus St, Celebration) Wednesdays: Poinciana
Wednesdays: Poinciana Library (101 N. Doverplum Ave.)
For those still seeking a vaccine, Osceola County residents can coordinate with the Department of Health Tuesday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 407-552-0120 to set up an appointment.
