East Alabama paramedic shares experience after receiving monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – Last week a new COVID-19 treatment was offered for the first time in Columbus.

WRBL News 3 was the first to report that Piedmont Columbus Regional was offering outpatient monoclonal antibody treatments.

Sara Katherine Parks, one of the first to receive the infusion locally. The 24-year-old paramedic from Auburn doesn’t look like someone who would be high risk for COVID-19. But she is and she was willing to take the monoclonal antibodies to fight the virus.

“I am a type 1 diabetic and I have a higher risk of developing complications post-diagnosis and just long-term with kidneys, lungs and all that kind of stuff, Parks said.

With the help of her mother, Nessa, Sara Katherine researched the antibody treatment.

“What I really liked about it is that it’s not a blood product,” she said. “With blood products, like the plasma that’s being given to a lot of patients, it is very unpredictable.”

A monoclonal antibody is produced by cloning a unique white blood cell.

You can’t just show up and get this outpatient treatment. You have to the right candidate; you have to get the infusion within 10 days of your first symptoms. And you have to be referred by a doctor.

Piedmont is still in the early stages of the COVID infusion treatments. Officials say the infusion drug is provided to patients at no cost. Other nominal costs like administrative and pre-med fees may apply and can be billed to insurance.

Parks weighed the risks.

“The con is there is not a lot of research on it,” she said. “Again, there is not a lot of research related to anything on COVID. ….”

Then she sought the treatment at Piedmont Columbus Regional, which began offering it last week on the renovated fifth floor of Doctors Hospital.

She was given the drug Bamlanivimab.

“They call it ‘the Bam Bam’ because it’s so hard to say,” she said.

The process to get the infusion took about an hour and was not difficult. Parks had to be under observation for about an hour after the procedure.

“It was super easy,” she said. “They walked me up and made sure they took all of the proper precautions because I am COVID positive. They gave me pre-medicines, Benadryl and Tylenol. … I slept through the treatment actually.”

A day after the treatment, she fills much better.

“I feel a lot better,” Parks said. “Lingering headache for the past week. I do not have a headache now. I slept well last night.”

• Chesterfield Health District launches online pre-registration for COVID-19 vaccine
  Local residents in Phase 1a or 1b for the COVID-19 vaccine can now pre-register online to get their shots.
• Coronavirus update: Second highest increase of COVID-19 deaths since pandemic began
  COVID-19 related deaths are up to 6,174 — that is 93 deaths in the last 24 hours, the second highest number of new deaths from the virus reported since the pandemic began. The highest number reported in a single day was 96 deaths back in September.
• Mass vaccination sites ready across the US as states wait for supply of more vaccines
  Across the nation, the mass-vaccination sites are ready to roll. All that’s missing is the vaccine and that is causing an enormous amount of frustration, not to mention health risks, for many of our frontline health workers and society’s most vulnerable.
• Virginia health experts working with labs to find out how COVID-19 variants spread
  The first case of the new COVID-19 variant, originally found in the United Kingdom last year, has been found in Virginia according to the Virginia Department of Health.
• Top VCU doctor says consider wearing two masks
  Emerging variants of the coronavirus may be reason for the public to start wearing two masks, according to a top infectious disease expert at VCU Health.
• Hawaii man survives lightning strike, then beats COVID-19
  Aumauinuuese Puni survived a caught-on-video lightning strike in April of 2020 and COVID-19 this month.
• First US case of Brazilian COVID-19 variant found in Minnesota
  Minnesota health officials confirmed Monday that a mutation of COVID-19 from Brazil was found for the first time in the United Sates.
• Ballad Health: Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee in a ‘really bad place in this pandemic’
  Ballad Health officials said the spread of COVID-19 in the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia region is truly widespread at this point and that we have passed the point of identifying clusters in the region.
• Biden explains how he arrived at $1,400 stimulus check amount
  During a press conference after signing an executive order designed to galvanize the economy and help factories, President Joe Biden shed light on a topic millions of Americans have been tracking – how the size of the stimulus check outlined in his COVID relief plan was chosen.
• When will everyone have access to COVID vaccine? Biden says this spring
  At a press conference Monday, President Joe Biden said he believes anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one by this spring.