Gov. Cox issues statement on monoclonal antibody treatment – Cache Valley Daily

Governor Spencer Cox speaks during the PBS Utah GovernorÕs Monthly News Conference at the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 17, 2021.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health announced this week that a Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Center on the campus of the Intermountain Healthcare Employee Services Center in Murray is now open. This temporary medical facility will serve as a high-volume site, providing treatment to as many as 50 patients per day, and supplementing monoclonal antibody infusions that have already been taking place in hospitals and other centers across Utah for the past year.

In response to the announcement, Gov. Spencer Cox released statement:

“Monoclonal antibody treatments are another tool in the toolbox to keep people out of the hospital, and as a state, we are working to administer every available dose to those who need it. The antibody infusion has proven to be effective, but it can only be administered after a high-risk person has tested positive for the virus. The vaccines remain the best way to prevent someone from being hospitalized because of COVID-19. Around 90 percent of people who are hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated. ”

Since November 2020, approximately 7,100 Utahns have received monoclonal antibody infusions, preventing an estimated 900 hospitalizations. When identified early and treated with monoclonal antibodies, one in eight Utahns who have tested positive for COVID and are at the highest risk of severe disease have avoided hospitalization.

Utah has typically been allocated 1,330 monoclonal antibody doses a week. Treatment time takes about 2 hours, including registration, preparation, infusion and 1 hour of monitoring afterward.

Eligibility for monoclonal antibodies includes:

• Testing positive for COVID-19.
• Not currently hospitalized for COVID-19.
• Doctor referral.
• No more than 7 days from symptom onset.
• High risk for hospitalization