The state of Florida has been in a prolonged battle with the Biden administration of late, with the two government entities at odds with how best to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the White House, it’s all about vaccinations, social distancing, and quasi-lockdowns…economic turmoil be damned.
In Florida, however, Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed for a far more freedom-centric approach. He has resisted any mandates on masks or inoculations, and has been rather large proponent of high tech treatments such as monoclonal antibodies.
This has irked the feds to no end, and a recent decision by the FDA has now forced the shuttering of a great many treatment centers in the Sunshine State.
The Florida Department of Health announced that it is closing all monoclonal antibody treatment sites in the state after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rescinded emergency-use authorizations for two particular treatments for COVID-19.
The FDA announced on Monday that it is no longer permitting the use of bamlanivimab and etesevimab (used together) as well as the combination of casirivimab and imdevimab known as REGEN-COV, or Regeneron.
They made it very clear who was at fault here.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this abrupt decision made by the federal government, all monoclonal antibody state sites will be closed until further notice,” the Florida Department of Health said in a statement.
The friction could come to a head over the course of the next several years as well, with many predicting that DeSantis will take a run at the White House in 2024, elevating his national profile to profound new levels.
