Toma Dean had been walking in and out of the emergency room, “extremely ill,” from COVID-19 two weeks ago, when he arrived Wednesday at a monoclonal antibody treatment center in Jacksonville, Florida.
Because standing for too long left her feeling breathless, Dean made the decision to lie on the floor of the makeshift treatment center until her appointment.
“My options were to run out and run out of breath and not be able to [receive] treatment or sit on the floor and patiently wait for the line to pass and be able to get the treatment I need. So I chose to lie on the ground and do it along that line, “Dean told ABC News on Friday.” If I had chosen to stay in line, I would never get to treatment. I would have done emergencies again. So I stayed on the ground, until they got wheelchairs to help us. “
While Dean waited, a fellow patient took a picture of him. The image was shared online and later went viral on social media.
The presence of patients with severe symptoms caused the city of Jacksonville to contend to provide more wheelchairs to the antibody sites, an effort city officials revealed when ABC News asked him about the photo this week .
A city spokesman confirmed that, according to site organizers, Dean was hoping to be dealt with Regeneron, and Louie Lopez, who took the photo, told ABC News that staff members finally “dumped” Dean in a wheelchair.
Although his appointment was at noon, Dean said he had not finished treatment by 4:30 p.m., adding that “it was not a quick process.” However, he stressed that the staff of the facilities were very supportive and helpful.
“The picture that comes online: it looks terrible, yes, but they were fantastic. The facilities were fantastic,” Dean said.
Most of her symptoms have dissipated, Dean said, who was not vaccinated but still has difficulty breathing.
“You don’t realize how hard it is to breathe … I could even tell you all the different things, how I felt and how sick I was 12 hours before this picture was taken. Family,” No more i can do that. I’m giving up, ”Dean said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been an advocate for monoclonal antibodies, which has swept the state in recent days to encourage people to seek treatment if they test positive, as many overwhelmed hospitals across the state struggled to satisfy the needs of thousands of patients.
“The governor’s message is extremely clear. Every time he has made a public remark about Regeneron, he has stressed and reiterated that early treatment is needed to get the best chance of avoiding hospitalization,” Christina Pushaw told ABC News , press secretary to the governor. Thursday.
“We were all worried [Dean] after seeing [the photo]”Pushaw added on Friday. A member of the governor’s staff went to support on Friday, Dean and Pushaw said.
With more than 17,000 patients hospitalized statewide with COVID-19, Florida health officials have warned that hospitals are running out of space. According to federal data, there are currently less than 7% of intensive care beds available statewide.
The site only opened on Tuesday, but city officials told ABC News that the volume of patients requesting treatment had doubled on Wednesday.
Weesam Khoury, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, along with Pushaw, insisted that monoclonal antibody sites in Florida “are not invaded” and that the state “is dedicated to providing resources to Floridians who need it.”
Khoury said there are patients who appear extremely ill at the sites, however, the protocol suggests that if a patient is already at a point where they need hospital care, teams will refer them to these services.
Dean said he hopes his story can help other people try to protect themselves from the virus.
“What I hope this photo does is help someone who is as sick as I am that day, and I hope they get up. If they need me to take them, I’ll take them,” he said, adding that he now intends to vaccinate. be as soon as eligible.