TALLAHASSEE FLA. (WTXL) — CDR Health officials have new treatments for patients battling COVID-19 in Tallahassee.
Although Leon County is seeing COVID-19 levels drop, North Florida should still be on alert, according to officials.
On Thursday, CDR Health off Capital Circle Northeast started giving Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for COVID-19 again after the treatment method was paused in January.
The decision behind the pause was because older monoclonal formulas were less effective against the dominant omicron variant.
However, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new monoclonal treatment called Sotrovimab.
With COVID-19 levels still medium to high in parts of North Florida, CDR is hoping the new treatment can help the community get ahead.
"As soon as we got it, we wanted to get it out and get it out to the public as soon as possible," said Robbie Meek, Chief Operating Officer for CDR.
He said the goal is to get this new treatment into communities that still need it.
Although this CDR site is in Leon County, people from other areas like Hamilton, Suwanee and Lafayette counties could benefit because they're still considered areas with high levels of COVID-19.
It is one reason Dr. Thomas Unnasch with the University of South Florida still offers this advice.
"Just to be on the safe side, I wear a KN95 mask," Dr. Unnasch said. "Just trying to protect myself from others and more importantly protect others from me in case I'm asymptomatically infected."
Taking a multi-level approach to ending the pandemic.
While the numbers are promising, Meek is still on alert for future challenges.
"A the supply can't keep up or be we see another variant that either the current treatments we have aren't effective and a new one is needed."
CDR Health is working to expand these treatments across the state of Florida.
