With Michigan's COVID-19 Cases Surging, State Turns To Treatment

LANSING, MI — Still dealing with the ramifications of having to temporarily pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine amid rising case numbers, Michigan is expanding its use of antibody treatment in its battle against the coronavirus, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced at a news conference Wednesday.

Whitmer and Michigan health officials said the state is expanding the use of monoclonal antibody therapy — the treatment used by former President Donald Trump when he had COVID-19 — in an attempt to significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

"We're in a tough spot, Michigan," Whitmer said Wednesday. "And while I appreciate the support we've received from the federal government, I will not stop fighting for more tests, more vaccines, more ways to keep you and your family safe."

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The expanded use of the antibody treatment involves additional doses of monoclonal antibodies being made available to providers and requests to providers to expand the number of infusion sites in the state, officials said.

The use of monoclonal antibodies — laboratory-produced molecules that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system's attack on cells, according to officials — have shown promise to treat COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk for progressing to severe symptoms in clinical trials.

More than 6,600 Michiganders have received this treatment with 65 percent reporting feeling better with two days of treatment and less than 5 percent of them requiring hospitalization following treatment, officials said, but Whitmer stressed that the treatment is not a replacement for the vaccine.

"A monoclonal antibody, if you are someone that qualifies for it, can be a lifesaver and it can keep you out of the hospital, and that's what we're trying to do is get out hospital rates down," she said.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said the use of the treatment has shown promise and could help cut down on the time people with COVID-19 would need to be hospitalized.

"That is so important now more than ever, especially with our COVID-19 and hospitalization rates," she said.

Michigan, which reported 7,955 new COVID-19 cases and added 33 additional COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, reached its all-time highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday, with 4,011 people in the hospital with confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data.

Khaldun said she's used the treatment with her patients while dealing with COVID-19 positive people, and screens patients to see if they are eligible for the treatment.

"I'm asking every doctor in Michigan to do the same," she said.