SAN DIEGO (CNS) — As the number of reported cases of COVID-19 continues to decrease and hospitals in the region have built more capacity for treatment of the virus, San Diego County announced Friday it will begin closing its Regional Monoclonal Antibody Treatment operations.
Three of the four operating Monoclonal Antibody Regional Centers will close by the end of this month, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency. Family Health Centers of San Diego will continue to provide monoclonal antibodies for prevention and for treatment, by appointment only.
"The demand for monoclonal antibody treatment has been steadily decreasing in recent months as COVID-19 treatments, including Paxlovid, have become readily available at medical providers' offices and other locations," said Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, county public health officer. "County Public Health will continue to monitor the pandemic to ensure the community's treatment needs are met."
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Since the centers opened in February 2021, nearly 15,000 patients have been treated with monoclonal antibodies at 10 locations across the region. The development of the MARCs, prior to the availability of antiviral COVID-19 medications in pill-form, was a collaboration among federal, state, county and local partners, and received statewide recognition.
A total of 2,634 COVID-19 cases were reported to the county in the past seven days, compared to 2,840 infections the previous week. The cumulative total cases in the county increased to 919,938.
Since last Thursday's report, four additional deaths were reported to the HHSA, increasing the cumulative total to 5,487.
The number of people in San Diego County hospitalized with COVID-19 increased by nine to 189, according to the latest state data.
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Of those patients hospitalized as of Thursday, 24 were in intensive care, with 241 ICU beds available
More than 2.68 million or 80% of San Diegans received the primary series of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines and are considered fully vaccinated. A total of 1,448,515 or 58.9% of 2,458,117 eligible San Diegans have received a booster.
The HHSA only reports COVID-19 data once a week -- on Thursday nights.