BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Through a partnership with the State of North Carolina, StarMed Healthcare is the first non-hospital healthcare provider in Bladen County to offer COVID-19 antibody therapy at a site in Elizabethtown.
About 40 doses can be administered daily at the StarMed site at 501 Doctors Drive in Elizabethtown, Monday–Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Monoclonal antibody therapy has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the symptoms of COVID-19 and research shows the following benefits:
- Reduces the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients by 20%–70%
- Decreases symptoms in patients by two weeks
- Decreases viral load making patients less likely to spread the virus
Each treatment takes around 20 minutes and patients then remain onsite for 60 minutes for observation. The antibodies remain in the patient’s system for 30–90 days.
The treatment is free and is recommended for anyone meeting these criteria:
- Individuals ages 12 and up who are unvaccinated
- Anyone who is vaccinated but has an immunocompromised state due to underlying health conditions like cancer, organ transplants, autoimmune disorders or chronic steroid use
- Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and have mild or moderate symptoms
It is not recommended for patients with severe symptoms, those who require oxygen, or anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 but has been vaccinated and can mount a good response.
This patient testimonial was provided by StarMed:
“I tested COVID positive on Sunday, August the 15th. I was having some bad fever-like symptoms … with chills, a bad headache and body aches. The next day I signed up for StarMed Healthcare’s monoclonal antibody treatment and it did wonders for me. Today is Tuesday, August the 17th, the day after I had the treatment, and I’m almost completely symptom free.”
Because of the limited supply, people seeking this therapy need to schedule an appointment through the StarMed Healthcare website here. The treatment is available for people in Bladen and the surrounding counties.
Anyone searching for an alternative monoclonal antibody therapy site can do so using the NCDHHS treatment locator here.
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