For more than two years, they were among the most effective COVID-19 treatments. Monoclonal antibody treatment can reduce the hospitalization risk if you are infected by over 70%, but monoclonal antibodies are no more. The FDA pulled authorization for the final one last week. So these new variants are called escape variants because they escape our immunity and they really sort of escaped these antibody treatments that used to be previously effective 9 news medical expert doctor. Malcolm says the old treatment just doesn't work.
The lab made antibodies used to bind to the virus, but they don't fit right on the new variants. The antibodies are really no longer affected. They're no longer neutralizing or quilting the virus from making copies of itself. It's a bad time to have one fewer tool and doctor's tool boxes. The CDC just pushed Boulder counties community COVID level back to high. It now joins 15 other Colorado counties with that rating with the holidays and the travel and the. End of the year and all the gatherings that we're having, it's really setting us up for virus into to, you know, spread itself very, very effectively. Dr Coley has bad news. She says it's time to start thinking about stopping the spread again. That means wearing masks, more testing frequently and getting the booster shot, which helps against these new variants. If you're planning to get together or travel for Christmas or the few days before, now is the time to go and get boosted because it takes to remember 2 weeks after you get that. Poster to really get full protection. Doctor Coley says there are still some treatments available if you get COVID-19.
They're mostly antivirals, but you have to administer those super early in the infection for them to work, which requires you to test as soon as you might be sick and get a doctor's appointment fast. Just don't want to get sick, so don't do it. OK? All right. Be smart. Thanks, Cole..
