KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Latest data from the Knox County Health Department shows a rise in COVID-19 related deaths. A total of 1,004 people have died from COVID-19 in Knox County. The total number of COVID-19 cases is 87,294 and the number of hospitalizations is 2,236.
There’s a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state and it comes as we're getting troubling news from local doctors. Doctors said a treatment that has saved so many lives may not work as well against Omicron.
Monoclonal Antibody Infusion is a treatment Tennessee doctors credited with preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and saving lives during the delta wave but health officials said some of the same treatments are useless against omicron.
Dr. Tyler Dougherty with South College School of Pharmacy said it's a big loss in the fight against the virus. "If therapeutics are not as effective against this, this is very concerning for the population because you know this is what we've relied on for about the past year," he said.
He said two of the three antibody treatments are not as effective at preventing severe illness. "They are both not as effective as treating Covid that's caused by the Omicron variant," Dougherty said.
There is one infusion formula that works on Omicron, but it's in limited supply.
"One monoclonal product called Sotrovimab is still maintaining its efficacy," Dougherty said. "Sotrovimab is a limited quantity and limited distribution currently.”
Two tools to prevent hospitalization now – newly approved COVID-19 pills and that one antibody treatment, are both in limited supply.
"Maybe it's starting at square one. I hope not but it's concerning," Dougherty said.
Doctors said the best protection from hospitalization is the vaccine. "There is evidence that getting triple vaccinated will help fend that off the best," Dougherty said.
More than 90 percent of hospitalizations are still occurring in unvaccinated people Dougherty said. "Even if you are vaccinated and you get sick with this new variant the data is showing that hopefully you're not going to be hospitalized.”
The Knox County Health Department said they have plenty of vaccine and the number of people getting vaccinated is slowly growing in the area.