‘Together, we will succeed’: Ron DeSantis trumpets remdesivir, virus optimism

Ron DeSantis is optimistic that the state will best the virus at some point. Image via AP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis began Monday again projecting sunny-side up optimism about the state’s battle against COVID-19.

“Together, we will succeed,” tweeted the Governor, ahead of a press conference later in the day in Orlando.

DeSantis touted remdesivir, a life-saving drug that has been in short supply in some Florida hospitals.

Though there have been supply droughts, DeSantis contended those days are over.

“In the last two weeks, my administration has helped secure & distribute nearly 50,000 vials of highly sought-after remdesivir to hospitals caring for patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19,” DeSantis tweeted. “This remdesivir supply will help more than 8k Floridians recover more quickly.”

“We’ll continue to implement our comprehensive strategy to support hospitals caring for COVID-positive patients, which includes securing more treatment and additional nurses,” the Governor added.

DeSantis, during a Saturday press conference, had signaled help was on the way.

On Saturday at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Gov. Ron DeSantis said 30,000 vials of the COVID-19 drug would be coming to Florida hospitals.

The Governor said within the next 48-72 hours, enough of the drug would be shipped to hospitals directly from the federal government to help five or six thousand patients.

That represented a messaging pivot for the Governor, who had previously suggested on Thursday at a press conference in Apopka that hospitals may be overusing the medication on a per-patient basis.

“We did have some treatments of it where you were going beyond the five days which obviously uses up more vials.” DeSantis said. “Basically, I think the White House’s view is, scientifically, we think the five day regimen can be beneficial. They don’t have much evidence that going beyond that tends to be beneficial.”

Though the White House hasn’t voiced concerns, at least publicly, about Florida hospitals using too many “vials,” President Donald Trump on Sunday lamented the “flamelike” growth of the virus in the state.

While he believes the state will get it under control, Florida thus far has over 350,000 confirmed cumulative COVID-19 cases, with over 4,600 residents and non-residents having died from the disease.