According to Texarkana Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Schlotter, a surge in positive COVID cases since Christmas is a major cause of Monoclonal antibody treatment centers across the ArkLaTex being affected by a national shortage of treatments such as Regeneron.
The Bowie County treatment center had been working at maximum capacity since September but can now only administer 25 treatments a day. The drugs used in the treatment are provided by the federal and state government. Last week, the State of Texas was allocated about 2,500 treatments, with 122 of those going to the Bowie County treatment center.
The effects of the treatment shortage are not exclusive to Texas or Bowie County and can also be seen at De Queen Health and Wellness Center in Sevier County, Arkansas.
Chester Barber is a pharmacist at the wellness center and says the shortage couldn’t have come at a worse time due to the fact that the spike in positive cases has created a more urgent need for treatments.