PCH receives supply of monoclonal antibody from ISDH

Putnam County Hospital has received a very limited supply of Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody (bamlanivimab) from the Indiana State Department of Health.

The distributions to healthcare facilities across the state will vary on an ongoing basis as related to production of the medication. This antibody treatment may only be used in COVID-19-positive patients who have recently developed symptoms and are at a high risk of developing serious COVID-19 disease.

High risk factors include age over 65 and chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, overweight and also immunosuppressed states due to illness or medication.

Patients must be screened for eligibility criteria and receive an order from their primary care provider or other healthcare provider, and administration must be performed in the hospital, as an outpatient.

Infusions last 60 minutes, with additional time following the infusion for patient observation.

Although the drug is available at no cost, there is a charge for administration and observation. Additional information can be reviewed at the following links.

• https://tinyurl.com/y3f6oqth

• https://tinyurl.com/y67j8zak

Putnam County Hospital continues to offer curbside COVID testing. To schedule an appointment, go to https://scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov.

Testing hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. If the website shows full, feel free to call 301-7019 and see if they are able to find an opening on the schedule.

Putnam County Hospital asks that patients arrive no earlier than five minutes before their scheduled test to help with the flow of traffic. When a patient arrives they will follow the COVID-19 testing signs. These signs will direct them to the proper testing area.

Note that the curbside testing will be closed on Nov. 26 and 27. However, the testing site will be open on Monday, Nov. 23.