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Florida hospitals beg feds for more drug as virus cases rise

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Posted at 3:07 PM, Jul 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-18 15:11:22-04

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s hospitals say they are in desperate need of a life-saving medication to help treat coronavirus patients rapidly filling their beds.

On Saturday, the state reported more than 10,000 new confirmed cases of the virus and 90 additional deaths.

Hospitals say they need more remdesivir, a medication they say has reduced the illness severity and mortality of some patients with COVID-19.

The state reports that Florida hospitals are treating more than 9,000 patients for coronavirus.

Overall, there have been nearly 338,000 cases resulting in 5,002 deaths.