* The federal government, on advice of the FDA, will not be sending more of the monoclonal therapies, which are manufactured by Regeneron and Eli Lilly, to the states. The reason: Such therapies have not been effective against the omicron variant. Florida officials are not pleased, whatever the scientific rationale.
* Speaking of the unpleased, Gov. Ron DeGeneron’s happy hour is now a forum to keep pushing monoclonal antibody cocktails. Despite what the “authoritarian” FDA and Biden Administration think about their proven ineffectiveness against the omicron variant. The governor, who once championed hydroxychloroquine, now has a cocktail to share with all those woo-able conservatives who would be impactful in the 2024 primaries.
* According to the CDC, COVID-19-associated hospitalizations were 49 percent higher among unvaccinated seniors than they were among seniors who had received vaccines and a booster.
* 31 percent of Florida’s total population remains unvaccinated, including children 4 and under, who are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.
* Florida stores that will be getting government-issued, free (three-per-person) N95 masks over the coming days and weeks: Winn-Dixie, Fresco Y Mas, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Publix and Walgreens.