Updated: 'Oklahomans will die without this drug,' Covid treatment medication in dangerously short supply, forces local facility to shut down
STORY UPDATE: Since this story aired and published the facility has received 114 additional does from the State Department of Health. Officials with the facility hope this will get them to their next allocation, but are still concerned of a potential shutdown in the future if they do not start receiving larger quantities.
MOORE, Okla. (KFOR) — As covid cases soar again, a potentially life-saving treatment is now in short supply.
Monoclonal antibodies can lessen the risk of hospitalization, or worse. One treatment is given in the form of the medication Sotrovimab.
But one local facility that specifically does these treatments can't operate anymore because they're not getting enough of them.
"Oklahomans will die without this drug," said Covid Treatment Infusion Center Nurse Practitioner Jessica Deppin. "We've treated thousands upon thousands and now we have to say I'm sorry we have to say I'm sorry we don't know if you're high risk enough."
She first expected a shortage around early November.
"About 4 to 6 weeks ago they cut back on how we received our allocations," she said. "That's whenever we started becoming nervous."
The Biden administration took over distribution of the critical covid-19 therapy back in September. At the time, seven states (not including Oklahoma) were using 70 percent of the nation's supply.
Biden vowed to ramp up production, but also to even out distribution to give all states equal access.
But the treatment center says there's still inequality.
"If you look at the allocations that have been distributed just in this past week, Oklahoma received 414 vials of Sotrovimab," she said. "Other states potentially received 3000."
Other states like Florida and Michigan are also reporting shortages of the treatment.
"It's devastating," said the treatment center's Laynie Snider. "Why they're holding on to it I don't know."
Snider says they receive about 300-400 calls daily but can only treat 50-60 a day.
"Because of the shortage in the state we now are having to play God and say 'well you're high risk and so you get it' but 'you're not high risk enough and so you don't get it.,'" she said.
"Our doors will be shut tomorrow and we'll just have to tell patients that have covid that we're praying for them."
Here’s the social media blurb:
"Because of the shortage in the state we now are having to play God and say 'well you're high risk and so you get it' but 'you're not high risk enough and so you don't get it.,'" said one health worker.
"Our doors will be shut tomorrow and we'll just have to tell patients that have covid that we're praying for them."