Bonita Springs monoclonal antibody treatment site busy, appointments going fast

A new way to treat the coronavirus surge and take a load off our packed hospitals is in motion.

Dozens of sick people showed up to get the monoclonal antibody treatment Monday at the Old Bonita Springs Library site. The site was busy, and appointments are all booked up through Wednesday morning.

It’s a shot for some people to feel better.

“I’m sad that I got this because we’re fully vaccinated,” Lori Helbig said. “I’ve always tried to be so careful, so I need to feel better.”

Lori and Ray Helbig contracted COVID-19, despite the fact they were vaccinated. So booked appointments for the monoclonal antibody treatment in Bonita Springs.

“When she got her result yesterday as positive, and I was feeling the same thing, I thought, ‘We’re married; we do everything together,’” Ray said.

Mary Skogebo told us she had some difficulty securing an appointment. The demand for the Regeneron treatment grows with each positive test result.

“Initially when I started this morning at 7:30, they had appointments today,” Skogebo said. “But the time I finished setting up the account, all the appointments through Wednesday were booked.”

The packed parking lot Monday proved it. But once inside, people told us the process went smoothly.

“It was very organized, orderly,” Cristella Henderson said. “We were all spaced out, plenty of chairs, plenty of cones. We knew what areas to go to and even the staff was very helpful.”

We asked Florida Department of Health in Lee County for the number of treatments that have been administered at the site so far, but we have not heard back at this time. The state did say more than 4,200 people in Florida have used sites like the one in Bonita Springs to get the monoclonal antibody treatment.

Families say Regeneron treatment is working. Troy Frank’s teenage son got the treatment over the weekend.

“He’s feeling better,” Frank said. “He was really rough yesterday. It was one of his worst days, but today, he’s feeling a lot better.”