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Originally posted by rontuner:
Something I came across this morning was a quote from Fauci urging folks not to mix and match. The data still isn't there...

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Originally posted by pianojuggler:
Tennessee thinks that only unvaccinated people should get monoclonal antibody treatment.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...residents/ar-AAOG0Xz

So if you did everything right, got vaccinated, wear a mask, wash your hands a lot, stay six feet from everyone else, and still get COVID and end up in the hospital, they won’t give you the one treatment that may save your life.

Great.

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Our recommendation to monoclonal antibody providers or individual facilities across the state is if they need to prioritize distribution of the treatment, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) guidelines are the recommended approach for that prioritization, including prioritizing those who are most likely to be hospitalized. Ultimately, this comes down to providers' clinical judgment to ensure those most at risk are receiving this treatment.

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NIH guidelines on monoclonal antibody treatment, issued September 3, recommended monoclonal antibodies "for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 and for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19."

At the moment, there is no shortage of monoclonal antibody treatment—in Tennessee, or nationally, according to the NIH website—although the agency does warn that "logistical constraints (e.g., limited space, not enough staff who can administer therapy) can make it difficult to administer these agents to all eligible patients."

Should it become necessary "to triage eligible patients," the agency suggests prioritizing people who already have the disease, "unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19," and "vaccinated individuals who are not expected to mount an adequate immune response (e.g., immunocompromised individuals)."

NIH also notes that "providers should use their clinical judgment when prioritizing treatment" and stresses that "when there are no logistical constraints for administering therapy, these considerations should not limit the provision of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies." (Emphasis theirs.)

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Early this month, Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta delayed elective surgeries and procedures. The reason: There were so many Covid-19 patients in the hospital's intensive care unit that there was just no room for anyone who isn't seriously ill.

“We have had to postpone some nonessential surgical procedures because we did not have an inpatient bed for them after they had their surgery,” said Dr. Robert Jansen, the Grady Health System chief medical officer.

While the state of Georgia — and the United States as a whole — have been dealing with another surge of Covid cases since August, data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that Grady’s ICU has been full for much longer. Every week, for the past 12 months, it has been 100 percent full. Before the pandemic, Jansen estimated it was full 70 percent of the time.

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The United States reached another grim milestone on Friday, as the confirmed coronavirus death toll topped 700,000, just over a year and a half into the pandemic, and despite the wide availability of vaccines.

The milestone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, comes less than two weeks after the national death toll surpassed the estimated number of fatalities in the U.S. during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Despite national COVID-19 metrics showing encouraging signs of decline, approximately 1,500 Americans are dying from the virus every day, according to federal data.

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Top Covid experts privately urge Biden admin to scale back booster campaign

Several of these outside experts objected to the administration’s approach during a private, off-the-record call last week with federal health officials.