Hospitals of Providence sees 1,000% increase in demand for infusion treatment to combat Covid-19

EL PASO, Texas-- With rising Covid-19 numbers the Hospitals of Providence looks to expand the monoclonal antibody infusion treatment to be available seven days a week, according to a spokesperson for the hospital.

The issue came up at city council meeting Monday, after District 1 Rep. Peter Svarzbein spoke on behalf of a constituent who had a breakthrough case of Covid-19.

Svarzbein said his constituent qualified for the blood-infusion treatment but did not receive an appointment until 18 days after the initial sign up.

Svarzbein said the treatment had to be administered within 9 days of a positive Covid test result.

The Hospitals of Providence is the only provider of the treatment in El Paso.

A spokesperson for the hospital group on Tuesday told ABC-7 that over the past 3 months, they have seen a more than 1,000% increase in patients requiring the treatment.

Providence said it was also working to expand capacity in order to double the amount of infusions per day.

She said that after 10 days of the onset of symptoms, treatment cannot be infused.

It requires a physician's order for the appointment to be made, walk-ins are not available.

The infusion is 30 minutes long, along with an hour of additional observation for any potential adverse reactions.

According to The Hospitals of Providence, the goal of treatment is to reduce severity of symptoms and the number of hospitalized patients.

Have you had a problem scheduling an appointment for an infusion? Send us an email at news@kvia.com.