JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached a record number in the Tri-Cities, however Ballad Well being introduced Monday they’re ready to open the system’s first monoclonal antibody infusion center.
Ballad Well being CEO and President Alan Levine advised Information Channel 11 that the remedy facility is about to open Tuesday. Sufferers are already being scheduled for remedy, and appointments are required.
“We’re changing the previous most cancers middle in Johnson Metropolis to I feel a 12-bed infusion middle for monoclonal antibodies,” Levine stated. “The problem is simply getting it staffed, and that’s what we’re engaged on proper now.”
The infusion middle is positioned on Market Boulevard off of Knob Creek Street in Johnson Metropolis. Levine stated Ballad Well being can also be offering the remedy at a number of hospitals within the 21-county service space.
Levine stated the monoclonal antibody remedy is definitely just like the COVID-19 vaccine in the best way it targets sure proteins. He stated whereas some individuals are hesitant to obtain the vaccine, there isn’t any scarcity of individuals hoping to obtain the antibody remedy.
“They’re antibodies which are artificially created in a lab to focus on the spike proteins,” Levine stated. “So, they gained’t do the vaccine, however they’ll come and get in line for monoclonal antibodies after they’ve been uncovered to the virus.”
