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Monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 have been shown to be life-saving. But just as the state prepares to make drugs more widely available, a national shortage is limiting the state’s supply and forcing healthcare providers to restrict the number of people who can receive them.
The federal government capped Hawaii’s weekly allowance at 680 treatments, half of what local health care providers had requested, according to Brooks Baehr, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health. The state will have to wait and see if it can get more supply in the coming weeks.
“There is no doubt that we would have liked to have had more,” Baehr said.
Antibody treatments made by Regeneron and Eli Lilly received emergency use approval by the Food and Drug Administration in November, and clinical studies have shown they can significantly reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill and dying. virus. The Regeneron antibody cocktail, which former President Donald Trump took when he was infected with COVID-19 in 2020, has been shown to reduce the risk of being hospitalized by 70%. The drugs have also been shown to be very effective in preventing a person from contracting the virus after known exposure when taken as a preventative measure.
The treatment, which consists of a series of injections or infusions, should be taken soon after the onset of symptoms. Once a person is hospitalized and needs oxygen, health officials say it’s usually too late.
Although the drugs have been widely available for months, demand nationwide has been limited as health officials focused on rolling out the vaccines. But the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases over the summer due to the highly contagious delta variant and the resulting pressures on healthcare resources has led to renewed attention to drugs like way to save lives and reduce pressure on hospitals.
But it has also resulted in a supply shortage, with seven southern states where vaccination rates are low, accounting for 70% of orders, according to the New York Times. Recently, President Joe Biden’s administration has taken over the distribution of the drugs to ensure they get to areas that need them most.
Prior to last week, hospitals and other health care providers were ordering the drugs directly from manufacturers.
In Hawaii, the state has worked in recent weeks to increase distribution, getting 30 federal clinicians who can help distribute the drugs. Medical personnel who arrived in Hawaii on Sunday have been deployed to Queen’s Medical Center West Oahu, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Straub Medical Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente and Hilo Medical Center.
The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, which provides care for the state’s hardest-hit population, is expected to receive just 75 treatments as part of its weekly allowance, said Jacob Schafer, director of infection control and health of clinic employees.
“It would be great if we could administer it to everyone, but we just don’t have the drugs for it,” he said.
It is not known when these doses will arrive. As of noon as of Monday, the state’s total supply still had not been shipped, according to the health ministry.
The neighborhoods of Waianae and Nanakuli have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state and have seen a big increase in case the delta variant of the coronavirus hits this summer. In the past two weeks, 649 new cases have been reported in this zip code, according to state maps, far more than other areas of the state.
Shafer said that due to the limited supply, the health center will not be able to distribute preventive treatments if someone at high risk of complications from the virus is known to have been exposed to them.
Treatment will also be limited to people considered to be at higher risk, including people over 65, pregnant women, and people with diabetes or who are overweight. The health clinic will not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Shafer stressed that antibody therapy should not be used as a vaccine substitute. Unlike vaccines, treatment does not reduce the risk that a person will be re-infected and seriously ill.
“It is absolutely not a substitution for vaccination,” he said. “Vaccination is safety. This is an extra layer of treatment to help relieve an overburdened health system. “
Hilo Medical Center, which serves an area that has also experienced a high infection rate, expects 70 treatments per week as well as a “little extra” for its emergency room and long-term care needs, said Elena Cabatu, spokesperson for the hospital.
“We are experiencing a shortage like everyone else,” she said. Cabatu said treatment will also be limited to people with risk factors for serious illness.
Health care officials say that while treatment is currently insufficient, the local need is hopefully waning as the state appears to be in the back of the wave. Still, the state is reporting a high number of cases, including 431 new infections on Monday. The number of deaths from the virus in the state has risen to 714. Among the deaths this month, two women contracted the virus during their pregnancy and died shortly after giving birth. KHON reported the second death on Monday.
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