As coronavirus cases surge across the United States, the one monoclonal antibody treatment – sotrovimab – is now in short supply. In Texas, the state health department announced on Monday that its regional infusion centers have run out of sotrovimab.
Other states are also experiencing either shortages of the monoclonal antibody treatment or have also run out altogether.
Last week the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization for two new oral antiviral drugs, the Pfizer COVID-19 pill, and the Merck COVID-19 pill. Those pills will be available soon but in a limited supply from the federal government.
Without these three early response treatments for COVID-19 available – the two pills and the one monoclonal antibody treatment – people are being told to take precautions against getting the virus.
The Texas Department of Health is recommending that people take precautions against getting COVID-19, including getting a booster shot as soon as possible. Wearing a mask, avoiding gatherings, social distancing, and hand washing are also recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In New Jersey, hospitals have begun to limit their use of monoclonal antibody therapies to treat COVID-19 because of a shortage of supplies. Hospital officials say they are using the scarce drug for patients who are most at risk of developing serious complications from the virus.
“At this time, the criteria for recipients is now restricted to individuals who are 65 years of age or older or are immunocompromised and have cancer or have recently received an organ transplant,” RWJBarnabas Health, a West Orange-based health system, said in a statement.
Dr. Stanley Weiss, an epidemiologist, and professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School said it is difficult to compare the severity of different strains, given that the virus now is hitting different age groups that have different levels of inoculation.
However, his message regarding omicron remains the same as with other variants: Given a choice, try to avoid it. “The omicron is so highly infectious that risks right now are extremely high, even in small gatherings,” Weiss said.
As of December 28, 2021, the U.S. has recorded 52,782,055 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 818,765 deaths. On Wednesday, 237,061 new cases were recorded, a 66 percent jump over the previous 7-day period.
