CareSouth Carolina celebrates one-year anniversary of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

CareSouth Carolina celebrates the one-year anniversary of Monoclonal Antibody IV Therapy infusions at its Hartsville Suite B office.

CareSouth Carolina began giving Monoclonal Antibody IV Therapy (mAB) treatments at its Hartsville Suite B office on January 27, 2021 and since that point has provided more than 7,889 infusions.

The goal of this therapy is to decrease hospitalizations & emergency room visits due to symptoms of COVID-19 and to prevent the patient from progressing to severe disease. This treatment is also used to prevent potential long-term damage from COVID-19.

CareSouth Carolina Hartsville Provider Jennifer Lynch, FNP-C, who oversees the mAB team, said the group has worked hard to make a difference in the community and are thankful for the opportunity to play an important role in fighting COVID-19.

“The monoclonal team at CareSouth may be small, but for the past year, we have made some great strides in outpatient treatment therapeutics for patients who are positive for COVID-19,” Lynch said. “As we reflect on the last year and the patients we have treated with monoclonal antibody infusion we are continually thankful for this opportunity and our role in treating COVID-19 patients. We are proud that we are one of the largest clinics in the countries that provides this type of outpatient treatment. We will continue to follow the latest evidence-based research and bring our patients the most effective and safest treatment therapeutics for COVID-19. The therapy is an hour-long IV infusion that has been developed for the treatment and prophylaxis of viral infections, like COVID-19.”

What is a Monoclonal antibody?

Your body naturally makes antibodies to fight infection. However, your body may not have antibodies designed to recognize a novel (or new) virus like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, are made in a laboratory to fight a particular infection—in this case, SARS-CoV-2—and are given to patients directly with an infusion. That’s why mAb treatment may help patients who are at high risk for severe symptoms or having to be hospitalized.

mAb treatment for COVID-19 is different from a COVID-19 vaccine. A vaccine triggers your body’s natural immune response, but can take weeks to develop enough antibodies and prevent some kinds of infection. Some vaccines for COVID-19 require two shots, so your body can develop its own immune response to the disease. But if you already have the virus, mAb treatment gives your body the antibodies it needs to protect itself.