LUBBOCK (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with local officials on Thursday in Lubbock to provide an update on the distribution of bamlanivimab, the Eli Lilly & Company monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19.
According to the Governor, the Texas Department of State Health Services has allocated an initial shipment of bamlanivimab to acute care hospitals across Texas, with additional doses expected to be shipped weekly. DSHS prioritized communities with high COVID-19 disease burden for this initial allotment through a formula that included total new case counts in the area, new COVID-19 hospital admissions and total COVID-19 hospital patients.
“Every day, the Lone Star State is closer to turning the corner of this pandemic thanks to medical advancements like bamlanivimab,” said Governor Abbott. “This therapy drug will help prevent hospitalizations and reduce the strain on our healthcare system and workers. However, as encouraging as these advancements are, there is still no substitute for personal responsibility. The State urges all Texans to continue to wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands, especially as we head into the holiday season.”
The Governor said Bamlanivimab is for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are aged 12 years or older and are at higher risk of severe disease. It has been shown to prevent hospitalizations in some patients when used before they become very sick.
The initial allocation of the drug is phase one and focused on hospitals; phase two may be broader and include other facility types like nursing homes and infusion centers.
The Governor said hospitals that were allocated doses should have received or will be receiving calls about their allocations over the next few days from AmerisourceBergen, the same distributor as remdesivir. Hospitals can accept or decline their allocation. Declined doses will be reallocated to other Texas hospitals.
The Governor acknowledged a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Texas but doubled own on a promise not to implement another lock down. He called state shutdowns ineffective. He asked Texans to practice social distancing and avoid big groups until more treatments, and ultimately vaccines, are widely distributed.
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