COVID-19 Antibody Infusions Reduce Hospitalization Rate: Edward

NAPERVILLE, IL — Physicians at Edward-Elmhurst Health have successfully used COVID-19 antibody infusions to reduce the rate of coronavirus patients who become severely ill or need hospitalization, according to new data from the hospital system.

In Nov. 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the use of COVID-19 antibody infusion, or monoclonal antibody (mAb treatment), to treat "mild to moderate" coronavirus cases in patients 12 and older. When administered during the initial onset of infection, these antibodies can help prevent "serious infection from COVID-19," according to a news release from Edward-Elmhurst Health.

“Really, the earlier you get it, the better,” Jonathan Pinsky, MD, medical director of infection control at Edward Hospital, said in the news release. Pinsky added, “If you wait, the virus could worsen, and it may be too late.”

Edward-Elmhurst Health administered 1,010 coronavirus antibody infusions leading up to early June 2021. Pinsky said just .1 percent of patients who received the mAb treatment were hospitalized for COVID-19 after the treatment.

Data from Edward-Elmhurst Health shows that coronavirus patients who did not receive the antibody treatment were 20 times more likely to be hospitalized or head back to the emergency room than those who had received mAb treatment.

COVID-19 antibody infusions are available to patients regardless of vaccination status. Patients who receive the mAb treatment must wait 90 days before receiving their first or second coronavirus vaccination dose.

Doctors may recommend the treatment to help lessen the risk of coronavirus complications for patients who are 65 years old or older, are obese, have an underlying medical condition or rely on mechanical medical technology, such as a tracheostomy.

Infusion treatments take about two hours, which includes an observation period following the infusion. Edward-Elmhurst Health still recommends vaccination as the "best protection from COVID-19."