Protesters interrupted a media briefing from Gov. Ron DeSantis in Orlando on Monday. DeSantis was at OneBlood to talk about the use of convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 therapy.
A few minutes into his remarks calling for more plasma donors, DeSantis was interrupted by a small group of protesters shouting ‘shame on you’ and ‘you’re lying to the public.’
"We're not going to be defunding the police, don't worry about that, we're going to be supporting our men and women in law enforcement," said DeSantis as law enforcement officers escorted the protesters outside.
They continued to bang on the windows and shout as the press conference continued.
"I hope they never need convalescent plasma, I can tell you," said OneBlood CEO George Scholl as he talked about the need for plasma donations.
"We’ve distributed thousands of units to date and there’s no end in sight," said Scholl.
He said there's been a 500% increase in hospital orders for convalescent plasma, which has only recently been approved as an experimental treatment for COVID-19 patients. The idea is that plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 contains antibodies that could help sick patients fight the disease.
Last week a protester shouted down DeSantis during a press conference in Miami, accusing him of doing nothing as coronavirus cases rise.