St. John Medical Center Offering COVID-19 Antibody Treatment To High Risk Cases

Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa is offering a treatment that has proven to prevent hospitalization in many high-risk coronavirus patients. Medical center officials said they have had this treatment for months now but they don’t think enough people know the antibodies could potentially help them get better faster and prevent fatal cases.

St. John’s Director of Clinical Infectious Diseases Dr. Anuj Malik says as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Oklahoma, he wants to make sure the high-risk patients know their treatment and care options.

“The only way to slow or stop the spread of covid-19 is for everyone to get vaccinated, but if someone high-risk gets the disease anyways, then we can potentially help their case not be as serious,” Malik said.

The medical center has a clinic dedicated to their COVID-19 antibody treatments, which is where they take antibodies from formerly infected patients and inject them into a currently sick patient, giving the patient the ability to fight the infection faster.

Malik said they have treated hundreds of people since they opened the clinic earlier this year, but those numbers don’t compare to the overall number of those who have been diagnosed.

Malik said people who are above age 65, are immune comprised, unvaccinated, severely overweight, have had an organ transplant, and many other risks are eligible to receive the treatment that could give peace of mind. People who are young and do not have any underlying risks are not eligible for the treatments.

“When they got the test result, nobody told them there was an antibody clinic option available,” Malik said. “It’s sad and they end up in the hospital and they’re headed towards the ventilator it’s so much anxiety and worry.”

If you would like to schedule an appointment online to be tested for COVID-19 or to receive an antibody treatment, Click Here.

To schedule over the phone, call 918-739-8660.