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The situation is reminiscent of the early part of the pandemic, when personal protective equipment and fans were scarce.
“I feel like going home at night because it makes me feel like I’m deciding, with this limited resource, who gets it,” said Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist at the San Diego Family Health Centers. , a network of clinics for low-income patients, the newspaper reported.
Ramers’ clinics had to turn down most – about 90% – of the hundreds of people who call every day seeking treatment for eligible COVID, he added.
“It’s devastating to tell these patients, ‘Sorry, there’s nothing we can do for you, we should keep this medicine only for the most severely immunocompromised,'” said Erin McCreery, an infectious disease pharmacist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. said the times.
Monoclonal antibodies administered intravenously were the primary treatment for newly infected patients. However, the two most common types do not seem to keep Omicron at bay.
The only monoclonal antibody that is effective against Omicron, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, is in limited quantities. The federal government has ordered only about 450,000 courses of treatment times reported. The United States did not immediately order supplies of this treatment when it was allowed last May, as it already had a large number of other antibody treatments.
Meanwhile, Paxlovid is a new, powerful antiviral pill from Pfizer that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration two weeks ago. But supplies of this drug are also scarce. Paxlovid deliveries will not be abundant until April, although the Biden administration doubled its order this week. Large amounts of treatment are only now available because it takes eight months to produce the pills, times reported.
The focus of some providers now is to use these limited drugs to help people with weakened immune systems or who have not been vaccinated.
Patrick Creighton, a 48-year-old sports radio host in Katie, Texas, fell ill with COVID over the holidays and managed to take some Paxlovid pills, but it took him two health visits and 19 pharmacy calls before picking them up. .
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