A steady stream of COVID-19 patients headed into a new monoclonal antibody facility on Thursday in The Villages.
The treatment facility is located at the Barnstorm Theater at Brownwood Paddock Square. It was officially unveiled in a press conference Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Monoclonal antibody treatments can prevent hospitalization or death in high-risk patients with COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health. Individuals 12 years and older who are high-risk, that have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19, are eligible for this treatment.
Congressman Daniel Webster, a Republican who represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives, noted it was the first such facility to open in his district.
“While many Floridians have already been vaccinated, and others continue to receive the vaccine, these treatments are another resource in Florida’s approach to further prevention and therapeutics to combat COVID-19,” Webster said.
Under a standing order signed by Florida’s state surgeon general, patients in Florida may receive this treatment from an eligible healthcare provider without a prescription or referral and it is available at no cost to the patient, Webster added.
This site in The Villages is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has the capacity to serve more than 300 patients per day.
Florida has reported 3.13 million cases of COVID-19 and 42,731 deaths since the pandemic began.