CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At the beginning of the pandemic, doctors had no specific treatment for COVID-19, but now, some patients are seeing real success with something called monoclonal antibody therapy.
There has been a lot of buzz about monoclonal antibody therapy recently. So what do all those words mean? And how is it helping?
Let's connect the dots.
Your body naturally makes antibodies in a response to an infection. Monoclonal antibodies are the same thing, except they're made in a lab. And they are specially designed to target coronavirus.
The monoclonal antibodies attack the virus' spike proteins and give your immune system time to launch its own response.
Doctors say that helps prevent the worst symptoms of COVID-19 and prevent hospitalizations.
Right now, monoclonal antibody therapy is only recommended for high-risk COVID-19 patients, like people with pre-existing conditions or those over 65.
It's most effective when given in the first few days after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Doctors say it is not a replacement for the vaccine, and the best way to prevent COVID-19 is still rolling up your sleeve.
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