DeSantis unhappy with FDA decision to halt antibody treatments

Welcome to today's edition of the Florida Coronavirus Watch Newsletter. Let's get you up to speed with the latest news of the day from the USA TODAY Network-Florida.

Here's what's happening across the state

• DeSantis fights for antibody treatments: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have centered the state's COVID response to focus on monoclonal antibody treatments over prevention, and now the FDA has halted distribution of the treatments because all indications are that the drugs don't work against the omicron variant. DeSantis is not taking the move lightly.

• COVID in school: Marion County schools hit a new record for the number of weekly COVID-19 cases for the second week in a row. Meanwhile, in Jupiter, five teachers were sent home from Limestone Creek Elementary last week for refusing to wear masks on campus.

• State Attorney agrees with child masking investigation results: State Attorney Phil Archer backed the results of a police investigation that cleared two Brevard County teachers of charges of child abuse for tying a mask onto the face of a 7-year-old student with Down syndrome. Archer condemned the attacks against Sofia's teachers as "disturbing" and "without merit."

• Does ivermectin treat COVID or not? In the battle to get ivermectin prescribed to patients sick with COVID-19, health leaders have said the drug has adverse side effects, and that there isn’t enough evidence to prove it treats the virus. But the National Institute of Health launched a nationwide study in June to test the effectiveness of the parasite drug on COVID patients with mild to moderate symptoms, and Polk County's largest hospital system has just joined. Here's what you need to know.

• Helping Black Floridians: Florida has “neglected” Black communities during the COVID-19 pandemic while giving “preferential treatment to others,” a group of pastors wrote in a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, asking to speak with him about how to better help Black people.

• Omicron-specific vaccines? Vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech announced plans early Tuesday to test an omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine in people. Tests are beginning to see if such a vaccine would be more effective than the currently available shots.

• Where to get your free N95 masks: Last week, President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would ship 400 million free non-surgical N95 face masks for distribution across the country. Here's where and how Floridians can get theirs.

Fact check: Claim that Americans need 'papers to eat in a restaurant' is missing context

The claim: Americans need to show 'papers to eat in a restaurant, but not to vote'

The verdict: Missing context. The claim makes it seem like voters in most states don't have to show their ID at the polls. But that's misleading. In 35 states, election officials ask or require voters to show their ID at the polls. In states that don't have ID requirements, officials verify the identity of voters in other ways. Meanwhile, most states do allow private businesses to require proof of vaccination. But sweeping mandates exist only in a limited number of cities.

Omicron variant is causing another COVID surge. Here are some helpful links

Because of the COVID case surge — as of Jan. 17, Florida ranked No. 11 on a list of states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest — we will include these links in this daily newsletter.

• Your guide to coronavirus and COVID-19: Everything you need to know about vaccines, testing, travel, schools and more

• Is it the flu, a cold, or the omicron variant? How to know, and when to get tested for COVID

• Do COVID-19 boosters protect against omicron? Where and when can I get a booster in Florida?

• This free tool compares the spread of COVID-19 in your area (this story is free to read)

• Symptomatic or not, should you bother getting a COVID-19 test?

• COVID vaccine cocktails: A guide to mixing and matching Pfizer, Moderna, J&J booster shots

• What to know if you're exposed or test positive for coronavirus

• Here's how to get your free at-home COVID-19 tests

Feedback for us? Really, it's welcome

Anything else you want to know? Ask your questions here. And finally, thank you for reading. We appreciate you trusting our statewide journalists to keep you safe and informed. If you are encouraged by our work and want to support your local journalists, please consider subscribing. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Forward this email so they can sign up.

Chris' note of the day: The COVID-19 pandemic took its greatest toll in nursing homes, with at least 140,000 nursing home residents dead from the coronavirus through the end of 2021. If you've lost a family member to COVID in a nursing home, USA TODAY would like to commemorate their lives on its website. In the coming weeks, this memory wall will become part of a larger project related to nursing homes during the pandemic.

Here's what else is happening with the coronavirus in Florida today.

— C. A. Bridges, cbridges@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: DeSantis unhappy with FDA decision to halt monoclonal antibody treatments