Antibody Treatment Recommended For People Sick With COVID

Upper Cumberland Health Officials are recommending neutralizing monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID.

Upper Cumberland Regional Medical Director Dr. Don Grisham said Cookeville Regional Medical Center is leading the way in Tennessee with this treatment. Grisham said it is an infusion that typically only takes two hours.

“These drugs rapidly decrease the number of COVID viral particles in a person,” Grisham said. “So you don’t get as sick as someone else, you have a reduced risk of dying, being in the hospital, being on a ventilator.”

Grisham said this treatment is for people sick with COVID for the first time, the treatment needs to happen within 10 days of contracting the virus. He said the treatment is used for people 65 years or older or overweight, diabetic, suffering from high-blood pressure or heart disease.

“At Cookeville they have a program where you’re infused with an IV for one hour, you’re watched for one hour and you’re dismissed,” Grisham said. “But only certain people qualify.”

Grisham said that when someone tests positive, acting quickly can make the difference.

“The way I understand it, it’s for people that have COVID for the first time,” Grisham said. “You can call the hospital and they can give you the details but you have to be treated within 10 days. Let’s say you got the infection today, you could go to the hospital tomorrow or the next day and get the infusion.”

Grisham said that it is likely someone will not qualify for the treatment if they’re healthy and under the age of 65. Grisham said to contact your medical provider to learn more about whether the treatment is the right fit for you.