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New coronavirus treatment could help slow hospitalization surge in Southern California

With the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals growing across Southern California and the country, doctors are getting another tool that could help reduce the surge.

San Bernardino County announced Friday, Nov. 13, that the federal government is funding distribution of a new antibody treatment, called Bamlanivimab, and that the county’s public health department will receive 484 units of the drug this week. The drug will be distributed to emergency rooms and skilled nursing facilities, according to county officials.

Riverside County will get 247 doses, Orange County 236 doses, and in L.A. County, 1,004 doses of the Elly Lilly therapeutic have been allocated to hospitals.

Dr. Troy Pennington, an emergency room physician at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, said he has looked at the study data and called the therapy “exciting,” though he has no clinical experience with it yet, and not many have.

“It’s a new drug with a new emergency use authorization,” Pennington said in a phone interview Monday, “… but it’s promising to have another option.”

Infections rising

The distribution of Bamlanivimab comes as infections and hospitalizations are soaring.

In a Monday video update from Riverside County, Dr. Geoffrey Leung said it is difficult to predict what will happen with a surge, “but we do think that if the current trend continues, that we could have two to three times as many COVID hospitalizations as well as cases this time next month.”

Los Angles County Department of Public Health officials reported six new deaths and 2,795 new cases Monday, and noted in a news release that the county “has not experienced daily numbers like this since late July, during the last surge that resulted in many people becoming very seriously ill and losing their lives to COVID-19.”

Pennington noted the first major daily peak of positive and suspected COVID-19 patients in San Bernardino County hospitals was about 450 in April. The county is on track to exceed that in the next few weeks, he said. July’s larger peak, though, was well above 700, he added.

With colder weather, holidays, and possible election-related protests, “we’re quite concerned about what the next couple of months is going to bring for our county,” Pennington said.

‘Promising’ treatment

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the therapy for COVID-19 treatment, though Bamlanivimab is classified as investigational until the evaluation of its safety and efficacy is finalized.

The treatment has a very specific role in helping to prevent people suffering from COVID-19 from their conditions getting so bad they require hospitalizations. Marianne Gausche-Hill, medical director for Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, explained the treatment reduces the viral load and brings down symptoms for those on the cusp of needing to be admitted.

The drug is administered at hospitals in an outpatient setting where patients receive a one-hour infusion and are observed for any allergic reaction. Patients with underlying health conditions and in an age bracket most susceptible to serious illness are prioritized.

But until a vaccine is widely available, likely next year, nothing will truly end the pandemic, Gausche-Hill said.

“Is it a game changer? I don’t think we can say yet,” Gausche-Hill said. “But the fact the federal government is giving access to this drug, it just creates another round of hope for people, especially in the medical community that’s been throwing everything at the disease not knowing exactly what would stick.”

The treatment is similar to Regeneron, which was given to President Donald Trump when he was hospitalized in October, though Regeneron does not have emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Bamlanivimab is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19, nor those who require oxygen due to the disease, but will likely be given in the emergency room to patients who can be sent home to recover.

The state used hospital data to allocate the drug to the counties. San Bernardino County noted it is also using hospital data to ensure equitable allocation.

Riverside County is also working with hospitals on how to best distribute and administer the doses, according to county spokeswoman Brooke Federico in an email Monday.

The state will provide shares of Bamlanivimab weekly until supplies from the federal government have been exhausted.

How to help

Pennington wants to remind residents to help hospitals by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing their hands and getting their flu shots. Donating blood also will help hospitals, as there’s currently a nationwide blood shortage, he said.

Pennington is holding a Zoom Thanksgiving this year with his parents, who are both cancer survivors, and he also wants residents to be similarly cautious around the holidays.

“It’s tough,” he admitted, “but with regards to the medication, it’s a promising therapy.”

Staff Writers David Rosenfeld and Heather McRea contributed to this report.


Source: Orange County Register

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