Florida

Florida, Georgia issue more remdesivir shipments to hospitals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At this time, there is no curative treatment for COVID-19. The global health care community is feverously working to develop a vaccine, but no medication has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent, treat, or cure the virus yet.

However, doctors are finding some help through remdesivir.

When a person gets infected with a virus, it can multiply and spread through the body. The drug remdesivir has worked to slow the spread.

“What remdesivir does is it helps decrease the level of virus replications. In other words, you don’t make so much of the virus in your body as you normally would. It decreases that replication,” Action News Jax medical expert Dr. Michelle Aquino said.

Aquino works at Baptist Health in Jacksonville. She said the drug has helped some coronavirus patients leave the hospital faster.

“The drug is very expensive. And right now most patients when they’re getting it, they’re getting it under what’s called compassionate use. In other words, we reach out to the drug company and say this patient has COVID, they’re in the hospital, they’re requiring oxygen and we want to treat them with this,” Aquino said.

Over the weekend, Florida and Georgia announced new shipments of remdesivir will be distributed to hospitals. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said his office is working to ensure the supply is replenished.