Three Federal Emergency Management Agency teams will be heading to New Hampshire next week to help administer monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 at hospitals in the state.
Gov. Chris Sununu announced Wednesday that the state has received confirmation that FEMA monoclonal antibody teams will be deployed to Elliot Hospital in Manchester, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon and Concord Hospital on Jan. 3.
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“We pushed FEMA and secured three monoclonal antibody teams that will help save lives,” the governor said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Federal Government for listening to our calls and sending these resources as we continue to fight this winter surge.”
State health officials said the FEMA teams will help ease some of the burden on already strained hospital staff.
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Monoclonal antibodies are proteins made in a laboratory to fight infections — in this case, the virus that causes COVID-19 — and are given to patients directly with an IV infusion or a shot. Early evidence suggests this treatment can reduce the amount of the virus, or viral load, that causes COVID-19 in a person's body. Having a lower viral load may reduce the severity of symptoms and decrease the likelihood of hospitalization.
Patients can be referred for treatment with monoclonal antibodies by their primary care provider. The antibodies are available at infusion sites and some urgent care centers.
Below is a map of locations administering monoclonal antibodies in New Hampshire:
