Everyone knows the old saying: “A once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Well, apparently, some people don’t believe this. Instead of simply getting vaccinated against COVID-19, they are waiting to have the coronavirus and then ask to be treated with new experimental treatment using monoclonal antibodies to lessen the effects of COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off viruses. Such treatments were originally designed to keep COVID patients out of hospitals and to lessen the symptoms experienced with the disease. Even in Canada, the treatment was approved back in November 2020. The authorization for its used was based on promising data that showed that the treatment by infusion appeared to reduce COVID-related hospitalization or emergency room visits in patients at high risk for disease progression.
However, in the U.S., demand for treatment using monoclonal antibodies, especially by the unvaccinated, has begun to outstrip the supply by the federal government. What is particularly interesting is that the federal government presently is covering the price tag of the remedy — presently at about $2,100 for every dose. On the other hand, one dose of a COVID vaccine in the U.S. costs only $20. In addition, while just one vaccination safeguards untold others from exposure, a single infusion only helps one affected individual.
The sudden rise in demand for monoclonal antibodies treatment is seen as partly due to the fact that people who shunned COVID vaccines have embraced antibody treatment. In turn, it is now reported that waning federal provides and soaring demand from much less-vaccinated Southern states (e.g. North Carolina, Texas and Florida) have brought about what many states have described as massive shortfalls in deliveries. The Biden administration has already invested $150 million in expanding accessibility to monoclonal antibodies, but the required delivery of the treatment to patients by health care workers is taking a toll on already scarce hospital resources. Accessibility for the treatment has also become an issue, resulting for example in the transformation of dental clinics, mobile models and auditoriums into infusion facilities in several counties. Unlike COVID vaccines which are readily available to most Americans, the monoclonal antibodies infusions continue to be inaccessible to many people.
There is little doubt that governments and public health officials are concerned about providing legitimate treatments for COVID patients. This is why agreements were signed by the American and Canadian governments to purchase new antibody treatments, while maintaining their standards for safety, efficacy and quality. However, such treatments were never intended to be a replacement for COVID vaccinations which serve as a much more reliable and safe preventative measure. Championed by mainstream medical doctors and conservative radio hosts alike, the use of antibody treatments have tended unfortunately to take on just that role. It’s difficult to understand that anyone knowingly would forgo getting vaccinated, relying instead on an experimental treatment in the event that they become infected and sick. This has become another one of the crazy absurdities emerging out of the pandemic!
FROLITICKS 