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The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on Tuesday opened a clinic in St. Paul to expand people’s access to monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19.
Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy can help people with COVID-19 feel better faster and reduce the likelihood that they will need to be hospitalized.
“This clinic will strengthen the existing capacity of providers in the Twin Cities to deliver this life-saving treatment,” MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a press release.
According to the federal government’s Combat COVID website, treatment with mAb can help reduce the amount of virus in a person’s system (the viral load) – the lower the viral load, the more symptoms a person has. light.
St. Paul Clinic will offer mAb treatment as an outpatient treatment to people who have tested positive for COVID-19, who have mild to moderate symptoms that started within the past 10 days, and who are at high risk of disease resulting in hospitalization. or death. (People can be at high risk for a variety of reasons, including their age and underlying health issues. See some of the more common reasons here.)
Those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine – and meet other qualifications – are still eligible for antibody treatment, MDH says.
People who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are seeking mAb treatment should contact their health care provider or request a clinic appointment through MDH’s online tool, the Minnesota Resource Allocation Platform.
Patients or their caregivers can go to the website (here) to complete a questionnaire to see if they are eligible for treatment. The website, which is designed to help facilitate equitable access to mAb treatments, will direct people to the nearest location with an available appointment, including the new clinic in St. Paul.
The St. Paul Clinic, located near Interstate 35E and Arlington Avenue West, is operated by MDH and the Matrix Medical Network. Walk-ins are not allowed.
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