Duval County

DeSantis: 20,000 vials of Remdesivir headed to hospitals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Governor Ron Desantis announced Tuesday that the supply of Remdesivir, a drug shown to shorten recovery time in COVID-19 patients, is being replenished where it’s been lacking.

Desantis said he’s sending out 20,000 more vials of Remdesivir to hospitals across the state.

Desantis said with this new shipment, that will secure more than 3,000 cases, which equates to  100,000 vials sent to hospitals this month.

Remdesivir has been in short supply nationwide, but Governor DeSantis said that he is working directly with the White House to make sure supplies get here as coronavirus cases continue to spike.

Some hospitals in Northeast Florida say they saw a shortage of the drug earlier this month forcing some to decide which patients get the drug and which don’t.

Action News Jax Jamarlo Phillips is reaching out to hospitals across our area to find out if they’re still experiencing a shortage of Remdesivir and if they are on the list to receive any new shipments of the drug.