St. Joseph’s hospital in Hamilton hosts Ontario’s first dedicated clinic offering monoclonal antibody (MAB) therapy, a highly effective COVID-19 treatment.

Dr. Zain Chagla is an infectious disease specialist and leads the team that offers treatment for patients with early-stage COVID-19.

The pilot program provides treatment for outpatients with COVID-19, who are at high-risk of progression to severe illness. While the first line of defense against COVID-19 is vaccination, this treatment will help to address the growing number of hospitalizations in high-risk individuals.

Chagla spoke with CHCH News’ Phil Perkins and said out of the roughly 150 COVID-19 patients treated, less than five have been sent to hospital. Of those in hospital, none were hooked up to a ventilator and no one died.

A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein that attaches to the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus and prevents the virus from entering and infecting healthy cells within the body.

This therapy may help reduce the risk of progressing from mild or moderate COVID-19 to severe infection that requires hospitalization for high-risk individuals.

The treatment is given by intravenous infusion. Patients undergo a 30–60-minute infusion of the medication and then are monitored for another 60 minutes. They are then sent home and continue isolation.

St. Joseph’s hospital says there are very few side effects described, and many of them are since patients have COVID-19.

The clinic will help determine the feasibility of such a treatment center in other locations across the country.