New York to send coronavirus treatment Remdesivir to Florida amid surge in cases, Cuomo says

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that he would send the COVID-19 treatment Remdesivir to Florida as the state struggles with a resurgence of positive cases of the novel coronavirus.

Cuomo said Friday that New York would send “enough Remdesivir” for Florida to care for the “280 COVID-19 patients” in need of the treatment, which he expects to arrive by Saturday.

GILEAD SAYS CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT REMDESIVIR REDUCES RISK OF DEATH IN SEVERE COVID19 PATIENTS

Cuomo’s office noted that Florida had requested an additional supply of Remdesivir from the federal government, which is also expected to arrive to the state this weekend.

“When New York was climbing the COVID mountain with no end in sight and resources were scarce, we were incredibly moved by the generosity of states around the country that stepped up to provide supplies and medical personnel in our time of need,” Cuomo said in a statement Friday.

“Thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the people of New York—and the assistance of those states—we bent the curve,” Cuomo continued, touting his state’s “continued discipline,” which he said has contributed to New York’s numbers remaining “low and steady.”

“I said at the time that we would return the favor if and when other states needed help,” Cuomo said. “Today, on behalf of all New Yorkers, we will deploy Remdesivir to help Florida care for patients as it waits for further supply from the federal government.”

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He added: “We will stand by our fellow Americans every step of the way as our nation fights COVID-19 together.”

Remdesivir is currently only approved for SARS-CoV-2 in Europe and Japan, but the Food and Drug Administration allowed emergency use approval of the experimental drug in early May.

On Friday, Gilead Sciences said its experimental coronavirus treatment remdesivir has showed to reduce the risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19 infections.

"In this analysis, remdesivir was associated with an improvement in clinical recovery and a 62 percent reduction in the risk of mortality compared with standard of care – an important finding that requires confirmation in prospective clinical trials," Gilead said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Cuomo, along with tristate governors Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Phil Murphy of New Jersey, issued a joint travel advisory, requiring individuals traveling to the region from states experiencing a surge in positive cases of the novel coronavirus to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The advisory includes Florida.

At this point, individuals traveling from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

The criteria for states that have a high infection rate are 10 infections per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average, or 10 percent of the state's total population infected on a seven-day rolling average. According to Cuomo, Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma now meet that threshold.

On Friday, Florida reported an additional 11,433 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to more than 244,000 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Fox News' Chris Ciaccia contribued to this report.