MORENO VALLEY - (INT) - The Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Medical Center is opening the county’s first state-supported Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center. It’s designed to mitigate severe disease within COVID-19 patients.

“By administering monoclonal antibodies we are aiming to take a preventative stance to keep infected patients from having to be hospitalized or admitted to the ICU,” Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung said.

The center started welcoming patients on September 13th and will be available Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment. Patients must be aged 12+ with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who also meet the following criteria:
1. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test result
2. Symptoms that started within the last ten days
3. Among the third potential criteria patients must have risk factors for severe disease including Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 25, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, immunosuppressive disease, be receiving immunosuppressive treatment, OR be Age ≥ 65 years, OR Age ≥ 55 years AND have one of the following:
• Cardiovascular disease, OR
• Hypertension, OR
• COPD/other chronic respiratory illness

Early treatment with monoclonal antibodies was first authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2020.

Story Date: October 2, 2021