Ron DeSantis: Most Seeking Lifesaving Coronavirus Treatment Are Fully Vaccinated

Gov. Ron DeSantis
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An overwhelming number of people who are seeking lifesaving coronavirus treatment, which the Biden administration is now withholding, are fully vaccinated, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Tuesday.

This week, the Biden administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opted to revoke emergency use authorization (EUA) for Regeneron and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody treatments, leaving thousands of Floridians with news of their appointments being canceled.

“Early this morning, thousands of Floridians woke up to news that their appointments to get treatment for COVID-19 infection were canceled by the Biden administration which revoked — outright revoked — authorization for two very popular monoclonal antibody treatments that the state of Florida really pioneered over the summer,” DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday morning.

Indeed, for months, Florida led the way in spreading the word about the treatments, which DeSantis said led to a “huge decline” in hospitalizations in the state. However, the Biden administration decided to revoke authorization of the treatment based on a “single non-peer reviewed, non-clinical study,” calling into question its effectiveness against the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Biden administration officials are accusing the governor of touting a “drug that does not work” and instead urging people to get vaccinated and boosted:

Ironically, however, DeSantis said most of the people seeking the treatment have been vaccinated, following the recommendation of federal health officials.

“Mind you, the number of people that seek this treatment are overwhelming people that have been vaccinated but yet they’re still infected, and many of them are high risk,” DeSantis said. “Now they are relying on revoking this and pulling the rug out from under people on a single non-peer reviewed, non-clinical study that was actually done by a consultant for a rival company to the other two monoclonal antibody treatments.”

While DeSantis said it may be true that the treatments are not as effective against the omicron variant, Florida has still had positive results with people who have received that treatment in the last month alone:

You have so many problems with this administration. You look at inflation spiraling out of control and yet they’re doing things to fuel it. You look at the southern order which has been a total disaster and continues to be to this day. You look at what’s happening in the gathering storm abroad, whether it’s Russia, China, America’s adversaries. You have huge, huge problems going on. You have infective COVID restrictions and mandates that are being championed in other states that are inhibiting our supply chain and contributing to economic problems.

“So you have all these issues that could be addressed, and so what do they choose to do with their time? They choose to pull the rug out [from] elderly patients, most of whom — almost all of them have been vaccinated — and say you don’t have access to this treatment. So we’re going to fight back against this,” he warned.

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