RRepublican governors slam against the Biden administration following an announcement that would restrict the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments, one of the only medically sanctioned remedies for those who have contracted COVID-19.
The measure has also won criticism from red state medical officials who fear it will further overwhelm hospitals treating a deluge of COVID-19 patients.
Biden announced Tuesday that the federal government is facing a drug shortage due to a “substantial increase in use” associated with the highly transmissible delta variant.
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Now the Department of Health and Human Services will control and restrict the amount of treatment supply that goes to each state.
The move provoked immediate criticism from the rulers of the Democratic Republic of Congo, even in states where vaccination rates are high. Earlier this month, the Biden administration had pledged to increase the “average rate of drug shipments” to states and to “speed up access” to treatment. Now it seems to be reversing course.
“Today I pressured President Biden’s team to explain the sudden rationing of these life-saving treatments, without any warning, after the administration urged us to promote them,” Maryland Gov. Larry said Tuesday. Hogan. “It’s one more example of a confusing and conflicting orientation coming from the federal government.”
A spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has criticized Biden’s COVID-related mandates and aggressively expanded free monoclonal antibody treatment centers, suggested the president is addressing Sunshine State and others who they challenge their mandates.
“It is unfortunate that the Biden administration is playing politics with people’s lives during a pandemic by withholding a life-saving treatment and providing mixed messages to Americans,” spokeswoman Christina Pushaw told the Washington examiner. .
The new restrictions are likely to affect a group of southern states, including Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, which have been expanding the use of treatment to combat the increase in hospitalizations.
Biden administration officials say these states have consumed 70% of the supply.
Government statistics show that Florida tops the list and received 30,000 doses last week. Texas, second, received 24,000 doses last week, according to HHS statistics.
Many of the states have resisted the mandates of masks and vaccines and have received criticism from the Biden administration and other Democrats.
DeSantis has been a vocal critic of Biden’s mask and vaccination warrants and plans to impose fines on his state’s governments for trying to enforce them.
Florida and other southern states, which are facing increased COVID-related hospitalizations, have been expanding monoclonal antibody treatment centers as a way to mitigate the virus in the early stages before it becomes severe.
DeSantis has opened dozens of treatment centers and is accrediting the drug for lowering hospitalization rates.
According to state statistics, there were approximately 10,700 hospitalizations for COVID-19 as of Sept. 14, up from a maximum of 17,121 as of Aug. 22.
“Our focus on early treatment with monoclonal antibodies has really made a difference,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “Our admissions today are the lowest that have happened since mid-July and has fallen very, very quickly. Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a big drop. “
House Republicans question the shortage and say they want answers.
Representative Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, tweeted to the Department of Human Services and Health “should explain why and how it interferes with the distribution of monoclonal antibodies.”
States heavily affected by the significant increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations are abandoning life-saving treatment expansion plans due to the new restrictions.
Antibody treatment has reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations by helping those infected to build rapid immunity against the virus.
In Alabama, the new limitations have reduced the supply of treatment by 30%.
The president of the Alabama Medical Association issued a statement expressing “strong concerns” about the new rationing and how it will affect the state’s ability to cope with a high number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“Alabama hospitals are full and under enormous stress. That’s why doctors are very concerned about federal efforts that will end up limiting our supply and access to this effective treatment,” said the association’s president. , Aruna Arora. “We call on the federal government to help us provide more of this treatment, not less, so that we can save lives and keep COVID patients out of the hospital.”
The Biden administration said the rationing is temporary and aims for “optimal and equitable use” of the drug, but gave no indication of how long the restrictions would last.
“We will continue to monitor product utilization rates, the prevalence of variants, and the overall availability of monoclonal antibody therapeutic products to determine when we will return to the normal direct order process,” HHS officials said in a statement.
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Pushaw, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, said that since Sept. 14, Florida has been operating monoclonal antibody centers backed by 25 states that have treated more than 90,000 people.
“We are working to ensure that the supply of monoclonal antibody treatment in Florida remains adequate to meet the needs of patients in our state,” Pushaw told the Washington Examiner.
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Tags: News, Congress, Coronavirus, Biden Administration, Larry Hogan, Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Delta Variant
Original author: Susan Ferrechio
Original location: Republicans question the policy behind Biden’s decision to ration out COVID treatment