‘Fear is our enemy here’: DeSantis gives COVID-19 update from St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a coronavirus news conference from a hospital in the nation’s oldest city Saturday morning.

The governor was joined by health officials from the Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine just after noon on Saturday to address the state’s COVID-19 response efforts.

“As we look at what’s going on with the virus, it is an enemy for us, for sure,” DeSantis said. “But so too is fear in terms of how we approach this. There’s a lot of different things that get put out in the headlines … the result is, a lot of people have a lot of angst and stress that gets built up.

“I think fear is our enemy here, and I think that if we approach this with a steady resolve I think we’re going to handle it much much better.”

DeSantis announced the state is receiving 30,000 more vials of remdesivir after it has shown to shorten hospital stays and reduce visits to intensive care unites (ICUs).

The governor noted that convalescent plasma donations have also proven to have a positive impact on coronavirus patients in Florida.

“Please consider donating your blood,” DeSantis said.

Watch the full press conference in the above video player.