Sotrovimab is a new Monoclonal Antibody Therapy made by Glaxo Smith Kline that is effective in treating illness caused by Omicron infections. Hospitals are currently being very selective in who receives this therapy due to limited supply of the medication. We are currently offering Sotrovimab for patients with 1 or more risk factors for severe illness from Covid-19 infection and who have been sick for less than 5 days. We have partnered with from Capitol Drugs Pharmacy to offer At Home infusions of Sotrovimab. Please note we will be screening all patients and will only be offering the at home infusions to high risk individuals. For more information on who is considered high risk please visit our website. If you think you or one of your loved ones qualifies please feel free to schedule a consultation and if you are approved we can arrange for you to receive this therapy in the comfort or your own home.
Cases are dropping locally We have seen a steep drop in cases from the Holiday surge. This is great news and has been a welcome relief to all of us frontline healthcare workers who saw our hospitals and Emergency Departments flooded with Covid 19 patients earlier this month. Please remember that even though cases are dropping, we are still seeing higher daily case rates than during any of the prior peaks to date in the pandemic. While I believe the end of this surge is near we are not quite there yet. If you are high risk or are regularly around individuals who are, I recommend continuing to practice caution for the next few weeks.
Testing Updates: We have seen a significant decrease in the sensitivity of Antigen tests in detecting the Omicron variant. As a testing company we have largely moved away from Antigen testing due to the large number of false negative Antigen tests. If you are experiencing symptoms concerning for a Covid-19 infection and have a negative Antigen test, I strongly recommend getting a PCR test to definitely rule out Covid-19 infection. If you are symptomatic and have a positive Antigen test, treat this as a true positive and isolate. The false positivity rate is very low despite the high false negative rate early in infection.
If you have not already been infected with Omicron, Get a Booster! Currently a booster dose of one of the MRNA vaccines is your best chance of avoiding an Omicron infection. Remember it takes approximately 2 weeks from the time of your booster for you to be fully protected. The boosters have shown to both decrease your chance of getting infected and also decreasing the severity and duration of infection if you do end up with an Omicron infection.
Insurance Reimbursement: We performed an unprecedented number of tests in December and January due to the Omicron surge. We do charge a fee for our service but it is possible to file a claim with your insurance company and get reimbursed for your Covid Test if you were sick or exposed to Covid-19. For Instructions on how to do so please visit the FAQ section on our website.
If you need testing please feel free to reach out to us or schedule an appointment online. We are currently open at our Venice, West Hollywood locating, and offer At Home Testing 7 days a week with RT-PCR results in as fast as 30 minutes. If you are high risk and test positive for Covid-19 we now have the ability to offer At Home Sotrovimab therapy at the time of your positive test.