EVALUATING AND REFERRING PATIENTS FOR OUTPATIENT MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY FOR CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) IN THE EMERGENCY DEPA

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 NONHOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE COVID-19 WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING SEVERE ILLNESS. EARLY INITIATION OF SARS-COV-2 NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING FOR PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISEASE AT RISK OF DISEASE PROGRESSION WILL IMPROVE CLINICAL OUTCOMES. THIS ACTIVITY DISCUSSES THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AGAINST SARS-COV-2, CURRENT CLINICAL INDICATIONS OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY, EVALUATION OF COVID-19 PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING SEVERE DISEASE, AND REFERRING THESE PATIENTS FOR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.