DENVER (KDVR) — Monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 is harder to find in Colorado since the spread of the omicron variant, but the state is now receiving shipments of the new pills available to treat the disease.
This week, Colorado received more than 6,800 of the two pills authorized to treat COVID-19, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Meanwhile, the federal government has limited monoclonal antibody therapy supplies because only one of the available treatments, sotrovimab, is likely to be effective against omicron.
The state said it’s using what it receives on the people most at risk from the coronavirus.
“As of January 2022, the federal government is supplying an extremely limited quantity of these medications, significantly impacting the frequency at which we are able to provide them,” CDPHE said in a news release. “We are hopeful that the supply of monoclonal antibody treatment and oral antivirals will ramp up significantly in the coming months.”
How to get the COVID pill in Colorado
Colorado has begun receiving biweekly shipments of two different pills, which are available to people at high risk of hospitalization or death from COVID:
- People age 65 and older
- Obese or overweight people, including adults with a body-mass index of 25 or higher and children who meet the criteria
- Pregnant people
- People with certain underlying medical conditions
Pfizer’s Paxlovid is available for people age 12 and older and who weigh at least 88 pounds. Merck’s molnupiravir is available to adults age 18 and up. Either medication must be given within five days of the onset of symptoms.
Colorado receives the treatments and distributes them to healthcare systems, according to the state. To get the treatment, talk to a doctor or healthcare provider.
Oral antiviral treatments received this week, as of Jan. 14:
- 1,360 Paxlovid
- 5,480 molnupiravir
Where to get monoclonal antibody treatment in Colorado
There are options for finding monoclonal antibody treatment in Colorado, even as supplies are limited. Find places to get monoclonal antibody treatment at these sites:
The state will finish converting its eight monoclonal antibody therapy buses to COVID-19 test sites by Jan. 15. Make an appointment at one of these state-led clinics:
- Kaiser Permanente Lone Tree clinic
- Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 10240 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree
- Kaiser Permanente Denver Regional clinic
- Tuesday-Saturday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 10350 E. Dakota Ave., Denver
- Denver Health Peña UC
- Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 1339 S. Federal Blvd., Denver
- Pagosa Springs Health Center
- Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 95 S. Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs
Find a list of upcoming available appointments at COMassVax.org or call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-CO VAX VO (1-877-268-2926) for help. The hotline is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT and on Saturday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT.
Monoclonal antibody treatments received this week, as of Jan. 14:
- 690 doses of sotrovimab (allocation is expected to increase as production increases, according to the state)
- 620 doses of Bamlanivimab/etesevimab
- 756 doses of REGEN-COV
- 1,227 dose of Evusheld
