Antibody Infusion Centers In 5 Texas Cities Temporarily Run Out Of Treatment For Omicron Variant
AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Infusion centers in five large Texas metro areas have exhausted their supply of the antibody drug that is most effective against the more-transmissible omicron variant.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services said centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and the Houston area have run out of sotrovimab, which is the monoclonal antibody treatment effective against omicron.
The agency says the treatment cannot be offered until January, when the next shipment of the drug is expected to arrive from the federal government.
Antibody drugs for coronavirus variants other than omicron are still available, the agency said.
Supply of the drug is "extremely limited, and additional doses of the product will not be available until the week of January 3rd," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement posted online.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)