Texas Planning To Open Antibody Infusion Center in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas is planning to open a regional infusion center in Fort Worth where COVID-19 patients will have access to the same monoclonal antibody treatment Governor Greg Abbott has received.
The governor announced Tuesday his daily COVID test had come back positive.
Abbott said he's been fully vaccinated, for which he credits his lack of symptoms.
"I have no fever, no aches or pains," he said in a recorded message posted to his Twitter account.
His account, though, is raising questions about the Regeneron infusion, with which his office says he's being treated.
The state last week announced it's opening nine infusion centers across Texas, where the Regeneron treatment will be available to patients with COVID.
"This monoclonal antibody goes in there, attaches itself to it, and neutralizes it, kind of like wrapping it in saran wrap if you will, so it can't keep multiplying and replicating itself," said Dallas County Medical Society President Dr. Mark Casanova.
He liked its use to a "Goldilocks" approach with the treatment not recommended for patients whose cases are either very mild or very severe, but rather those in the middle.
"For individuals who are faring generally well, they don't need Regeneron or monoclonal antibody," he said.
The governor's office did not respond to a request for clarification on how he qualified for the treatment.
The FDA, which granted Regeneron's Emergency Use Authorization, said the drug is intended for those "at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death."
Dr. Casanova recommended if you test positive to let your physician know and to start tracking your symptoms.
"If your condition worsens, particularly increased shortness of breath, difficulty getting in liquids or keeping fluids down, or just really generally feeling bad, you may be a candidate," he said.
The Department of State Health Services says it's not yet ready to announce details for the planned Fort Worth infusion center, but some hospitals already have the antibody treatment available and can provide it with a doctor's approval.
The treatment's ability to keep people out of the hospital could prove vitally important – not just for COVID patients, but anyone needing care.
"We're going to be really candid and honest that we're reaching capacities that we have not seen throughout the entire course of the pandemic. If modeling stays true, we're going to find ourselves in very dire situations in the very near future," Casanova said.