The move has drawn mixed reactions from physicians and experts. Some are concerned many of the costly infusions will be useless, causing confusion among patients who have heard glowing reports about the treatments.
A nurse enters a monoclonal antibody site at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Fla., in August 2021. The federal government has resumed shipping all three monoclonal antibody treatments authorized for early-stage covid-19 to states despite evidence that two might be ineffective against the omicron variant of the coronavirus that is sweeping the country.
That raises difficult questions. "Is it ethical and practical to give those treatments to people who you think almost certainly have omicron?" said Jeanne Marrazzo, director of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Most patients are demanding something." Last week, the administration resumed shipments of those two medications. The latest reversal followed complaints from Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and some doctors that the Regeneron treatments could help in places where the delta variant of the virus is still infecting people. DeSantis also said he was not convinced the Regeneron and Lilly cocktails were ineffective against the omicron variant.
In an email, DeSantis's spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, asserted that "there have been Omicron cases treated with other [monoclonal antibodies] that showed significant improvement, contrary to the initial study that came out and apparently informed the now-reversed HHS policy." If omicron now accounts for 95% of all new U.S. cases, as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday, the newly reauthorized therapies will have little effect.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Which mask is best for protection against the omicron variant of COVID?It has been proven that surgical masks are not that great at omicron protection after all
Read more »
US hospitals seeing different kind of COVID surge this timeHospitals across the U.S. are feeling the wrath of the omicron variant that is different from earlier COVID-19 surges. This time, they are dealing with serious staff shortages because health care workers are getting sick with the fast-spreading variant.
Read more »
Immunity against Omicron from breakthrough infection could be a matter of timingLaboratory studies hint that a longer interval between infection and vaccination is better than a shorter one.
Read more »
Immunity against Omicron from breakthrough infection could be a matter of timingLaboratory studies hint that a longer interval between infection and vaccination is better than a shorter one.
Read more »
California surpasses astonishing 6 million COVID-19 infections as Omicron wave expandsThe arrival of Omicron has pushed daily caseloads to their highest levels and sent a stream of new coronavirus-positive people to the hospital.
Read more »