PROVIDING ACCESS TO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TREATMENT OF CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PATIENTS IN RURAL AND UNDERSERVED AREAS

Course overview

CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) IS AN ACUTE VIRAL ILLNESS CAUSED BY SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2). SARS-COV-2 PRIMARILY AFFECTS THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; HOWEVER, IT CAN AFFECT OTHER MAJOR ORGAN SYSTEMS AS WELL. INITIALLY, THE FOCUS OF TREATMENT WAS DIRECTED MAINLY TOWARDS HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 ILLNESS. HOWEVER, THE CLINICAL FOCUS THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC HAS EXPANDED TOWARD COMBATTING THIS ILLNESS EARLY ON BY REDUCING THE VIRAL LOAD IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY DISEASE, THUS ATTEMPTING TO HALT THE DISEASE PROGRESSION. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES ARE CONSIDERED A PROMISING APPROACH IN MANAGING NON-HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE COVID-19 WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING SEVERE ILLNESS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF COVID-19 WITH RESPECT TO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY ADMINISTRATION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE CHALLENGES RURAL AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES FACE IN DELIVERING HEALTHCARE TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES. THIS ACTIVITY ALSO REVIEWS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE AND GUIDELINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TREATMENT FOR COVID-19, SELECTING STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING CARE ACCESS FOR COVID-19 THERAPY IN RURAL AND UNDERSERVED AREAS, EXAMINES HOW TO ADDRESS BARRIERS AND HESITANCY TO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY IN THESE COMMUNITIES, AND DETERMINES HOW AN INTERPROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES CAN IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES.