While there was a slight drop in hospitalizations on Saturday, the Ohio Hospital Association reported that 5,072 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state.
A new coronavirus antibody treatment called bamlanivimab is now available for qualified patients at Kettering Health Network and Premier Health.
The treatment was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in early November. Clinical trial results indicated bamlanivimab helps prevent hospitalizations and emergency room visits, as well as reduces the risk of coronavirus progressing.
“This experimental treatment joins others such as convalescent plasma therapy and Regeneron’s antibody treatment as potential ways to help those who have contracted COVID-19,” said Dr. Roberto Colon, system vice president of quality and safety for Premier Health and associate chief medical officer at Miami Valley Hospital. “The monoclonal antibodies are basically lab-produced proteins that mimic that body’s immune response and help fight off the virus. The reduction in hospitalizations associated with investigational use of this therapy are encouraging to see, but bamlanivimab remains in limited supply.”
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