Pittsburgh-Area Outpatient Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Clinic To Expand Appointments Due To Demand
By: KDKA-TV's Erika Stanish
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Olympus Infusions in Pleasant Hills has expanded its number of available appointments by 50 percent to keep up with demand.
The clinic offers monoclonal antibody infusions to help patients who have tested positive for or who have been exposed to COVID-19.
"We're servicing about 100 to 120 people a day, filling a niche that the hospitals are struggling to keep up with. So, we're doing our best to pitch into this fight," said Adam Rice, owner of Spartan Olympus.
The clinic was one of the first in the area to offer infusions to high-risk COVID-19 patients. Rice said the goal behind the treatment is to help patients recover without going to the hospital.
"It feels great to give people some hope and peace of mind. Keeping them out of a hospital admission possibly or even worse," Rice said.
Rice said patients will typically see improvement in their symptoms within 36 hours of getting treatment.
KDKA talked to a North Hills man who said he got an infusion one day after testing positive for the virus earlier this month.
"I never lost taste or smell. ... My throat was raw and just achy and chilly and had a fever," Thomas Davis said.
Davis said it wasn't long after the infusion that he started feeling better and was nearly symptom-free.
"Eighteen hours, I felt absolutely fine," Davis said.
Jodi Mitchell, a pharmacist with Spartan Pharmacy, said by using infusions, there's been a 70 to 85 percent reduction in hospitalizations and deaths. The process to get an infusion takes about an hour.
"The infusion itself is only about a 20-minute IV infusion. Very small. But then we have to monitor you. We have to look for some allergic reactions," Rice said. "We've had a couple of allergic reactions. Nothing that some Benadryl and steroids can't take care of."
Rice said due to high demand, they plan to expand services to remote locations next.
"We're anticipating the next hotspot to be the assisted living homes, nursing homes at the outer layer all living in together. Once one person gets sick, it spreads throughout the building," Rice said. "Getting our nurses deployed to a nursing home that gets positive COVID cases gets these folks treated as quickly as possible."
Anyone 12 and older that has tested positive for COVID-19, is a high-risk patient or was exposed to COVID-19 is eligible for treatment.
To make an appointment and learn if you're eligible, click here.