DHS: New outpatient infusion clinic opening for COVID-19 patients

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced on Friday, Dec. 18 that the Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in West Allis will be opening an outpatient Bamlanivimab infusion clinic on Tues., Dec. 22. The clinic will be open seven days a week, except for Christmas Day and New Years’ Day.

A news release says Bamlanivimab was authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adult and pediatric patients.

Bamlanivimab works by helping to bridge the gap between a new virus entering the body and the body’s creation of antibodies to fight it off. This drug contains man-made antibodies that mimic the antibodies present in patients who recover from COVID-19 and could give the body more time to learn how to make its own antibodies. The goal of infusing Bamlanivimab is to limit the amount of virus in a patient’s body to help prevent serious illness from COVID-19.

The release says the ACF Bamlanivimab Infusion Clinic will have the capacity to serve up to 84 patients per week, and will be set up in a separate area, distant from the ACF’s inpatient area. The ACF infusion clinic will only accept patients directly referred from a health system or individual hospital. No walk-in appointments will be offered.

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This treatment option is recommended only for people with COVID-19 who are over the age of 12, have had mild to moderate symptoms for 10 days, and preferably 4 days, or less, and are at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Banlanivimab is not for people who are already hospitalized or require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19. The ACF infusion clinic will only be treating adult patients, with priority given to those 65 and older or meeting other criteria putting them at high risk of developing serious illness.