At least two states have instructed medical providers to prioritize monoclonal antibody treatments for those “most at risk” from Covid-19 after having their supplies cut by the federal government, with Tennessee making the controversial decision to recommend that nearly all vaccinated Covid patients in the state be denied access to the life-saving drugs.
As reported by The Tennessean on Monday, the Tennessee Department of Health has recommended the treatments be reserved for patients who are unvaccinated or who are at particularly high risk from the coronavirus because they are over 65 or immunocompromised.
Bill Christian, a spokesperson for the department, told Forbes in an email that the guidelines follow recommendations from the National Institutes of Health for how to prioritize important coronavirus treatments in times of scarcity.
The guidelines are driven by the agency’s goal of “prioritizing those who are most likely to be hospitalized,” Christian said, though they have reportedly sparked criticism from some vaccinated Tennesseans, who until now were offered equal access to the treatment.
Alabama has also asked its medical providers to prioritize patients at greater risk as “not all” have been able to treat patients in need of the drugs, Nancy Bishop of the Alabama Department of Public Health told Forbes.
Though Bishop said it is up to individual facilities to determine who is most at risk, a posting on the Alabama Department of Health’s website outlines that eligibility is limited to people meeting certain criteria, with the recommendations varying based on age.
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