Concerns that vaccinated Tennesseans could be denied access to monoclonal antibodies in order to conserve the life-saving drugs for unvaccinated people are subsiding as the number of new COVID-19 cases across the state declines.
“We spent pretty much all the month of September worried about our supply, and fortunately – fingers crossed – we have had enough,” Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said during a news briefing on Wednesday. “I think with our waning demand that we will continue to have adequate or maybe even a little bit extra supply.”
The federal government recently changed how it allocates monoclonal antibodies after seven states with high levels of COVID-19 and low vaccination rates – including Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama – accounted for 70% of the nation’s monoclonal antibody orders. Tennessee was leading the nation in new COVID-19 cases per capita at that time.
As a result, the Tennessee Department of Health recommended that in the case of a shortage, providers follow National Institutes of Health guidelines, which call for those drugs to be conserved for people who are not fully vaccinated and at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 over those who are at high risk and fully vaccinated – with the exception of people with weakened immune responses, such as organ transplant recipients and patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Tennessee received around 1,000 fewer doses from the federal government this week compared to last, according to Piercey, but she said demand for the drugs is down as well.