By Jared Putnam
Staff Writer
After enduring one of its most difficult periods of time during the pandemic, Clay County received a bit of good news this week.
Active COVID-19 cases dropped to 60 on Monday, while Clay County administered its first dose of the Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment on Tuesday. Those developments came just days after coronavirus cases reached a record 108 on Sept. 13 and Clay County Health Department reported seven additional deaths during a three-day period from Sept. 15-17, raising the county's pandemic total to 35.
Monoclonal antibodies are produced in a laboratory and are designed to recognize the spike protein component of the coronavirus. The treatment manufactured by Regeneron has been shown to reduce hospitalization and death by 70 percent — and shorten the duration of symptoms by four days in individuals who have recently tested positive for the virus.
"I received word earlier today that the first infusion went great and that the patient tolerated the procedure well," said Dr. Rob Peck, chairman of the Clay County Board of Commissioners.
Monoclonal antibodies are administered intravenously, typically at hospitals, and officials described Clay County's antibody center as the "first of its kind" in North Carolina.
The good news was somewhat tempered by the fact that Clay County did not receive as many doses as officials hoped to acquire. Peck said county leadership received confirmation from Matt Gross, Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs, NC Department of Health & Human Services (NCDHHS), that Clay would receive only 12 doses of Regeneron in its initial shipment.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced on Sept. 13 that the federal government would take over distribution of the antibody treatments, citing a recent surge in demand by several Southern states with low vaccination rates.
According to the DHHS, seven states — Alabama, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana — accounted for 70 percent of the orders of monoclonal antibodies in recent weeks as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations skyrocketed due to the highly-contagious Delta variant. Governors in those states have largely rejected mask mandates and vaccine mandates, but many have promoted the antibody treatment.
North Carolina was provided 6,500 doses in the first allocation following the change in distribution. Peck said future county allocations will be determined by a variety of factors, including both demand and utilization.
"Due to the low doses currently available, the CCHD will be following strict guidelines to ensure the most at-risk citizens receive the available doses," Peck said. "Referrals will be made by local providers.
"While we know there is a tremendous interest in this program, and rightfully so, please understand that county staff is limited only by the available resources. If and when allocations increase, Clay County is ready to meet the demand."
While local case numbers have dropped, hospitalizations have remained at a high level. CCHD reported 14 county residents hospitalized as of Monday — all unvaccinated — after that total briefly dropped to 11 as of three days earlier on Sept. 17.
Northeast Georgia Health System includes Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga., where local patients are often transferred when they require a more extensive level of care. NGHS likewise reported a mixed bag of data this week.
The system's total hospitalizations dropped to 253 as of Tuesday, after reaching 312 almost three weeks earlier on Sept. 2. However, the number of patients in the ICU actually rose from 95 to 142 during the same time, even as the overall number of inpatients dropped. Health officials have repeatedly warned that COVID-19 patients are getting sicker, faster, and often requiring a greater level of care, due to the Delta variant.
To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination, call the Clay County Health Department at (828) 389-8052.