MVHS offering Monoclonal antibody therapy treatment

MVHS is offering a treatment to COVID-19 patients that may keep them out of the hospital, but the treatment also comes with some restrictions.

Treatment used to prevent hospitalizing patients with covid-19.

Newschannel 2's kirk tupaj tells us what this treatment is designed to do, and why it's not for everyone.

There's an antibody therapy treatment being used to enhance the body's natural immune response, and prevent hospitalization of certain patients with covid-19.

It's called monoclonal antibody therapy.

Mohawk valley health system is offering the treatment at their infusion center located on the st.

Luke's campus.

The therapy is administered through an i v and takes about an hour.

Lesa steele is a nurse manager and explains how the therapy works.

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None sot: lesa steele, mvhs nurse manager of maternal child services so it prevents covid from going into the cells, and that's why it's imperative to have it prior to full blown covid, because once you get so far along the covid's already in your cells, so it doesn't help you.

Sot: kirk tupaj the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) allow the therapy's under an emergency use authorization, which means the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks.

It's the same authorization used for all 3 covid-19 vaccinations.

Health officials are still recommending people get a covid vaccination.

This therapy qualifies for emergency use because the death rate is still high for covid patients.

Sot: lesa steele, mvhs nurse manager of maternal child services usually the federal government has a huge process of many years of looking at how vaccinations and different medications respond to different types of people, but because covid is so new and viscous.

You must be considered high risk for progressing to severe covid-19 and/ or hospitalization to receive monoclonal therapy, but there is an extensive list of criteria that could make you eligible.

You can't receive this therapy if you're already hospitalized, or require oxygen therapy due to covid-19.

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