The future of COVID may be uncertain, but health experts say preparation is key to moving forward safely and confidently.
A woman receives an infusion of monoclonal antibodies at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas in September. S.F. health officials are advising to prepare for another COVID wave.
“We have a lot more supply than demand right now,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF. “People just don’t know how to get access to it. It’s not available in every drug store; it’s still kind of a mystery.” It’s a significant change from just a couple of months ago when treatment centers were struggling to keep up with patient requests during the omicron wave.
For individuals with the highest risk of severe illness, such as organ transplant recipients or people who take medications to suppress their immune system, another option is a preventative medicine called Evusheld. Remdesivir, another therapy that involves a three-day intravenous infusion process, also has been approved.San Franciscans who test positive for COVID-19 and are at a high risk of severe illness should first reach out to their health provider, who is required by the local health authority to test people within a day of reporting symptoms.