As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across North Carolina, there has been an increase in experimental treatments being used to combat virus symptoms.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization allowing the use of monoclonal antibody therapies for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in some high-risk patients. These lab-produced antibodies are meant to reduce a patients' viral load and can lead to milder symptoms, decreasing the likelihood of hospitalization.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports the use of monoclonal antibodies jumped from 100 administrations for the week of June 23 to nearly 1,900 for the week of August 11. That's an increase of almost 18-fold.
Officials say the experimental antibody treatment must be administered within 10 days of initial symptoms, so it is crucial to get tested early.
NCDHHS points out in a news release that monoclonal antibody therapy is not a substitute for vaccination against the virus, and still recommends getting the shot as the best protection against serious illness. Statistics show that the vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.