ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Saturday afternoon at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine.
He said 30,000 additional vials of the drug Remdesivir will be delivered to Florida hospitals within the next 48 to 72 hours.
Those 30,000 vials will help treat between 5,000 and 6,000 coronavirus patients, according to the governor.
DeSantis made a plea for those who have already recovered from the virus and are positive for the antibodies to consider donating blood.
"Another type of treatment that is also proven to have a positive impact is the use of convalescent plasma," he said. "So this is people donate blood who have the antibodies for COVID-19 and then that can be used as a treatment for patients who are suffering under the illness."
The governor also reassured parents who have concerns about sending their children back to classrooms while Florida continues to battle the coronavirus.
"I can tell you having dealt with this every day since February and looked at the data in the U.S., Florida, across the world, and as a father of three young kids, I do not fear this virus' effect on my kids," DeSantis said. "I think the risk is incredibly low. I fear way more things in terms of their health and safety, but I would not have any problem having them in school if they were -- they're not school age -- but if they were I would absolutely do that and I think it would be safe for them."