BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The monoclonal antibody treatment is growing in popularity. Doctors said results promise a speedy recovery for COVID-19 patients.
When Christi Scott tested positive for the virus, her doctors at Ochsner urged her to start the treatment.
“I got the infusion and thank God I did,” Scott said.
The monoclonal antibody treatment is a 20 minute IV that functions to help the virus from replicating. Ochsner has been using the treatment since January, but the need for it has grown. The hospital does 60 to 70 infusions a day.
“Instead of waiting for your body to develop antibody naturally or through a vaccine, you’re administering the antibody right away,” Ochsner Medical Director Ralph Dauterive said.
He is urging any COVID patients to request the treatment to avoid hospitalization.
“We expanded the criteria to just use it on just about anybody who is symptomatic because we know it decreases the chance of hospitalization,” said Dauterive.
However, Dauterive wants to remind people that the treatment is not a replacement for the vaccine.
“It’s tough to watch parents die and leave kids behind for something that could have been prevented,” he said.
According to Dauterive, there is still a 3% chance of being hospitalized for COVID after getting the treatment. Those who receive the treatment need to wait 90 days to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Scott said she felt her symptoms fade away in just two hours after her infusion.
“Very, very thankful I was able to get it and it was available for me,” said Scott.