{"id":1130631,"date":"2021-12-18T13:58:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T18:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1130631"},"modified":"2021-12-18T13:58:47","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T18:58:47","slug":"report-gretchen-whitmers-michigan-cannot-meet-monoclonal-antibody-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-gretchen-whitmers-michigan-cannot-meet-monoclonal-antibody-demand\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Gretchen Whitmer&#039;s Michigan Cannot Meet Monoclonal Antibody Demand"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Freport-gretchen-whitmers-michigan-cannot-meet-monoclonal-antibody-demand%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1130631&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/health\/2021\/12\/18\/covid-19-monoclonal-antibody-treatment-infusion-michigan\/8940907002\/\">faces<\/a> her latest coronavirus-related challenge as her state is currently unable to meet the demand of patients seeking monoclonal antibody treatments, according to a report from the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The state does not have enough doses of monoclonal antibodies to meet demand and lacks an adequate number of health care workers to administer them, health experts told the outlet.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Department of Health and Human Services Spokesperson&nbsp;<\/span><span>Lynn Sutfin told the <em>Detroit Free Press:<\/em><\/span><span>&nbsp;\u201cBased on the amount of medication being allocated to Michigan by the federal government, as well as the amount of medication being used throughout the state, there is not enough supply at this time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In November, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids received up to 1,000 calls daily when demand for monoclonal antibodies was peaking, but the hospital could only administer 400-450 treatments weekly, the outlet reports.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span> \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty significant mismatch,\u201d said President of Spectrum Health West Michigan Dr. Darryl Elmouchi. Spectrum Health West Michigan hopes to increase the number of infusions to 500 a week.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span> \u201cThere\u2019s two limiting variables for monoclonal antibodies. No. 1 is the supply of monoclonal antibodies, which for the most part has been our biggest limitation,\u201d Elmouchi said. \u201cBut No. 2 is to have enough staff to be able to administer it because it is labor intensive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span> \u201cYou need health care providers who can do infusions\u2026 Staffing, it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s a hard job and you\u2019ve got to find people who are qualified to do it,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The monoclonal antibody treatment process takes roughly an hour and a half per patient, and nurses usually administer the therapy, but nurses and staff are stretched thin.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/0,9753,7-406-99891---,00.html\">Citing<\/a> the latest state data, the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em> reports that eight of the state\u2019s hospitals were at full capacity on Friday, while an additional thirty hospitals reported 90 percent occupancy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17602866\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"39\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17602866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/virus-outbreak-florida-dr-aldo-calvo-medical-director-of-family-medicine-at-broward-health-regeneron.jpg\" alt=\"The Associated Press\" width=\"1236\" height=\"1920\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Aldo Calvo, Medical Director of Family Medicine at Broward Health, shows a Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusion bag during a news conference Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 at the Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re redirecting all of our staff to our hospitals, and we have shut down clinics and surgeries and so many things,\u201d Elmouchi said. \u201cThat\u2019s our first priority because we have to take care of the sickest people first, but we want to keep this going as best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>President and CEO Dr. Bruce Muma of the Henry Ford Health System Physician Network struggles through similar setbacks as Elmouchi. In the last week, Henry Ford received roughly 2,000 requests for monoclonal antibody therapy but could only doll out 725 treatments.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Muma told the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em>, \u201c<\/span><span>By hook or by crook, we\u2019re expanding our capacity every week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Muma stated:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"8\">\n<p>One of our infusion centers expanded their hours to 3:30 in the morning \u2026 because there was a subset of ER nurses who were so concerned about what they were seeing in the ER that they wanted to start doing something to prevent patients from needing to be in the hospital. So they are \u2026 coming in four hours early for this shift.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Other hospitals are undergoing a similar squeeze. Beaumont Health network in southeast Michigan currently has a waiting list for treatments as the hospital system receives 600-700 requests weekly, said spokesman Mark Geary. The health system is only able to administer 145 treatments a week, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>Michigan Medicine receives 380 therapy requests weekly but can only provide 150 doses in a week\u2019s time, according to the <em>Detroit Free Press.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cWe are limited by workforce shortages and are prioritizing patients who are at highest risk for hospitalization,\u201d spokesperson Kelly Malcom told the outlet.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To meet the criteria for monoclonal antibody treatment, \u201cpatients&nbsp;<\/span><span>must have a positive COVID-19 test, be within a 7-10 day window of symptom onset, and be considered high-risk for severe disease,\u201d<\/span><span>&nbsp;the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em> reports. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to the outlet, \u201chigh-risk\u201d individuals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/coronavirus\/0,9753,7-406-99891---,00.html\">include<\/a> those who are:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul\">\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">65 or older<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">overweight or obese<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">pregnant<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">diabetic or with chronic kidney disease<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">taking immunosuppressants or who has an immunosuppressive disease<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">diagnosed with chronic lung diseases such as COPD, asthma or cystic fibrosis<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">diagnosed with sickle cell disease<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder such as cerebral palsy or other conditions<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">dependent on medical devices such as tracheostomy, gastrostomy or positive pressure ventilation.<\/li>\n<li class=\"gnt_ar_b_ul_li\">infants younger than age 1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_13103377\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"40\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13103377\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/aptopix-virus-outbreak-michigan-photo-hospital-bed-of-temporary-at-tcf-center-monday.jpg\" alt=\"The Associated Press\" width=\"864\" height=\"576\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This photo shows a hospital bed in one of the temporary rooms at the TCF Center, Monday, April 6, 2020, in Detroit. The city\u2019s convention center was converted to accommodate an overflow of patients with the coronavirus. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction at the TCF Center to create a quarantined hospital setting with 1,000 beds as the pandemic spreads rapidly in the city. (AP Photo\/Carlos Osorio)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Omicron variant is a further potential strain on Michigan\u2019s health system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of the health systems \u2026 are at the breaking point,\u201d Muma told the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em>. \u201cEvery hospital I\u2019ve talked to, every ER, is full of patients waiting for beds. There are no beds. People are sitting in the ER for days sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how much we can take and you know, with omicron on the horizon, this could be devastating,\u201d he added. \u201cIf we have yet another surge on in the middle of this surge, I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In all likelihood, the variant will bring about increased illness rates and further squeeze monoclonal antibody supply, according to the <em>Detroit Free Press:<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"9.8308270676692\">\n<p>That\u2019s because lab studies suggest two of the three monoclonal antibody products on the market in the U.S. \u2014 those made by&nbsp;<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/investor.regeneron.com\/static-files\/969bdb0b-53f5-46c7-94fb-7473ee7f5be3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regeneron<\/a>&nbsp;and Eli Lilly \u2014 may not work well against the mutations found in the omicron variant, even though they were very effective in treating people who had the delta strain of the virus. More testing is under way.<br \/>The only monoclonal antibody therapy that has so far been shown to neutralize omicron in lab tests is a drug called sotrovimab, which is made by Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Muma is concerned that an increase in cases due to Omricon and the possibility of Eli Lilly\u2019s monoclonal antibodies \u2013 \u201cwhich is the one we have the most of, the one that\u2019s in greatest production right now\u201d \u2013 being ineffective against the strain, could \u201csignificantly limit the ability to administer these therapies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces her latest coronavirus-related challenge as her state is currently unable to meet the demand of patients seeking monoclonal antibody treatments, according to a report from &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1130631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1130631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1130631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1130631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1130631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}