Monoclonal clinics open in Seminole, statewide
Following an announcement that Gov. Ron DeSantis had secured 15,000 doses of Regeneron for statewide distribution, a former Walgreens on West State Road 436 will serve as another monoclonal antibody treatment center, the Florida Department of Health said in a news release.
Stephen Nutter, an official at the site, said there is heavy demand. The site currently offers Regeneron and can serve up to 104 people per day, but Nutter hopes to increase that to 300 after additional treatments are delivered on Jan. 28.
Tuesday is completely booked, as are the next three days, Nutter said.
“We’re at maximum capacity the next three days. We’re not taking any appointments,”
he said. “The best thing for people is to get on the Florida website and schedule an appointment early so they can get in within a few days.”
The Seminole County center, at 1201 W. S.R. 436, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Appointments can be made by calling 850-344-0637 or visiting patientportalfl. com. It is one of five treatment centers that opened statewide to treat individuals who have contracted or been exposed to COVID19.
The site comes as the surge appears to be leveling off across Central Florida, with most counties seeing decreased positivity. On Tuesday, Lake was an exception.
According to CDC data released Tuesday for Florida, Lake County’s 7-day rolling average positivity rate was 36.98%, up 1.64%. Meanwhile, the remainder of Central Florida’s counties are beginning to see decreases in their 7-day rolling average
positivity rates, with Orange County’s rate at 36.09% and falling 5.75%; Osceola County’s rate at 34.77% and falling 5.09%; and Seminole County’s rate at 38.55% and falling 4.1%.
A sample taken on Thursday from the Altamonte Springs sewer service area found 98.4% of detectable COVID-19 viral genomes were omicron. It found no detectable levels of the delta variant for the first time since July 2021, City Manager Frank Martz said in an email.
Regeneron and Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody cocktails do not work as well against the omicron variant as they did against delta. Another treatment, GlaxoSmithKline’s Sotrovimab, seems to be effective against omicron but it is in short supply nationwide.
Other COVID-19 treatments seem to be holding up better against omicron.
Pfizer on Tuesday announced that lab studies had found its pill to work against the new variant. Past research suggested that the pill reduced risk of hospitalization or death by nearly 90% in high-risk patients.
Another monoclonal antibody treatment can be taken before individuals catch COVID-19. AstraZeneca EvuSheld’s Preventative Monoclonal Antibody Therapy can prevent COVID-19 for six months in immunocompromised people or people who have adverse reactions to vaccines.
“Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available against COVID-19,” said Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a news release when the treatment was released. “However, there are certain immune-compromised individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, or those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine and therefore cannot receive one and need an alternative prevention option.”
An independent study in mid-December by the Food and Drug Administration found that the AstraZeneca preventative treatment works against all tested COVID-19 variants, including omicron.
The Florida Department of Health’s website says people need to contact their health care provider if they are interested in this therapy.
To find pre- and post-infection treatment sites near you, visit floridahealthcovid19.gov/treatments/ treatmentlocator/ or look at the list below for locations near Orlando.
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY SITES
Clarcona Elementary, 3340 Damon Road
The Villages’ Barnstorm Theater, 2720 Brownwood Blvd.
St. Cloud Civic Center, 3101 17th St.
Rockledge City Center, 920 Barton Blvd.
ORAL ANTIVIRAL PILLS
Publix, 4501 Hoffner Ave. CVS, 7300 Curry Ford Road
ASTRAZENECA EVUSHELD’S PREVENTATIVE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY
AdventHealth Apopka, 2100 Ocoee Apopka Road
UF Health Leesburg Hospital, 600 E. Dixie Ave.