Northeastern Oklahoma Hospital Has New Treatment To Help Reduce COVID-19 Hospitalizations

A Green Country hospital has a new treatment in the fight against COVID-19.

Hillcrest hospital Claremore is using an infusion treatment to help reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations.

About one hundred doses of this antibody treatment have been administered here at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore over the past several weeks to help fight the virus.

“Antibodies are one of the tools that our bodies use to fight infection.”

It’s called Bamlanivimab infusion treatment. Emily Williams, the Medical Director for the Emergency Department at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore said it’s administered through an I.V. 

“Antibody infusions are not new, using it for COVID is obviously something that is new to us,” Williams said. 

Williams said the antibodies can help your body fight the virus. She said the infusion should be done within the first ten days of having symptoms. 

According to medical experts, ten percent of people with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms end up in the hospital. However, they said this treatment can reduce that number to three percent. 

Michelle Green, the Med Surg Manager at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore, said the infusion is done on their COVID floor and it only takes about an hour to do. 

Williams said patients are monitored for at least an hour after, to be sure they have no allergic reaction. 

 “We really haven’t had a lot of reaction to the medication,” Williams said. 

Williams said they still encourage everyone to get the vaccine even after getting the infusion treatment.