“The availability of the antibodies will limit our ability to help the patients”

Mid-Michigan Now — Demand is outweighing the supply of monoclonal antibody infusions.

Medstar started doing at-home infusions but because they needed to help more people they opened clinics across the region to administer more treatments to people.

Medstar is the only ambulance service in this region to offer Monoclonal Antibodies what started out as one to two appointments a week now are up to administering to 4,000 patients but the service has changed and now there is a concern with supply and demand.

Medstar says the state might only be getting one thousand infusions, but the ambulance service says they can easily administer one thousand infusions on their own each week.

“Right now it is not clinic capacity, it is the availability of the antibodies that will limit our ability to help the patients,” said Kolby Miller who is the CEO of Medstar.

Positive results from patients who have received the treatment. Miller says this infusion does not end the infection.

“It builds your immune system so that you’re stronger while you go through the fight. You’re less affected by it. So you know you’re not completely wiped out. Having antibodies makes you stronger, gives you more energy helps your body fight through it,” said Miller.

The treatment can help people with mild to moderate symptoms. The way Medstar administers the infusion is by IV. A patient will sit for a half-hour then wait another hour to be monitored to make sure they have no side effects.

“This is a powerful tool in this fight right now. And it’s doing a lot of good for a lot of patients. You know, we can barely keep up in our clinics. I hear our team scheduling people all day long. If we had staff to run in 24 hours a day we would and I think we fill them just the same,” said Miller.

A covid positive patient can have an appointment sometimes within 48 hours according to Medstar.

Appointments and more information can be FOUND HERE.