Florida health officials agreed to receive remdesivir from New York before DeSantis dismissed offer
Florida health department officials were aware of New York's desire to send a shipment of the experimental coronavirus treatment drug remdesivir to the state before Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) publicly dismissed the state's offer.
According to emails obtained by The Hill, New York officials from the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) first reached out to Florida's health department on Tuesday to ask if the state needed additional doses of remdesivir.
Florida health department officials readily agreed to the help, and by the next day had determined that New York would be able to send about 1,750 vials, or enough to treat 280 patients.
The drugs were slated to arrive on Saturday to buy Florida enough time until a new shipment from the Trump administration arrives.
But during a press conference on Thursday, Florida's Gov. DeSantis dismissed any idea of receiving help from New York, saying the state had offered ventilators, which they did not need. He did not mention anything about remdesivir.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/506920-florida-health-officials-agreed-to-receive-remdesivir-from-new-york-before?__twitter_impression=true