1st patient receiving Covid-19 antibody infusion at El Paso Convention Center hospital

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced the creation of an infusion wing for treatment of coronavirus antibodies at the state-run makeshift hospital for Covid patients -19 inside the El Paso Convention Center.

The alternative care site received 1,000 doses of bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody therapy created by Eli Lilly & Company that recently received approval for emergency use by the FDA.

The bamlanivimab infusion wing welcomed its first patient on Tuesday afternoon. A Hispanic man, believed to be under 65, was selected by doctors at the University Medical Center for the three-hour treatment.

“The placement of the bamlanivimab infusion wing at the El Paso alternative care site is critical to limiting hospitalizations and protecting at-risk Texans in the community,” Abbott said in one state. “I thank HHS for supporting our efforts in providing the State of Texas with this shipment of bamlanivimab for the pilot program. We will continue to make this vital antibody therapy available to those Texans who need it most.

The therapy has been shown to prevent hospitalizations in some patients when used before they become seriously ill.

Infectious disease specialist Dr Armando Meza told ABC-7 that these antibody treatments work the same as a vaccine in that they provide antibodies against a virus.

“Antibody protection really happens in the early stages of infection, so if you want to receive this treatment it will have to be within the first few days of symptom onset or infection,” said Meza, manager of infectious diseases at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. “Only patients who are at particularly high risk of serious complications will be the ones who will receive these antibodies.”

The convention center has been used to treat Covid patients with moderate to mild symptoms.