Texas emergency management officials launch therapeutic infusion centers throughout state

(The Center Square) – The Texas Division of Emergency Management has launched several new additional therapeutic infusion centers across the state, following the first opened in Austin, Harlingen and El Paso. New centers are now open in Laredo, Fort Worth and Irving.

The centers were launched through a partnership with the agency and city governments or regional groups like the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, with funding from the federal government.

The centers will treat outpatient cases of COVID-19, helping those who meet a certain criteria who have a referral from a hospital or doctor.

The centers have been provided with bamlanivimab and Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment (casirivimab and imdevimab). The antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off pathogens, the Food and Drug Administration explains.

Such drugs are designed to block COVID-19’s attachment and entry into human cells and were granted Emergency Use Authorization to be administered by the FDA.

The medications administered at the centers are designed to help keep hospitalizations down and save lives, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.

The infusion procedure takes roughly one hour to administer and another hour for observation.

No facility accepts walk-ins. The treatments will be administered to those presenting mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, especially those with underlying conditions that make them high risk. Patients are recommended to come for treatment at the centers roughly three days after their confirmatory PCR test or up 10 days after they start experiencing symptoms.

Patients who are already hospitalized do not qualify.

On Sunday, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced it had set up 28 hub providers to administer the coronavirus vaccine, and has instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship the first doses of the vaccine to 234 providers.

The week of Jan. 11, Texas will direct most COVID-19 vaccines received to large sites or hubs around the state to vaccinate more than 100,000 people.

All Phase 1A and 1B individuals are eligible to receive the vaccine. Phase 1A includes front-line health care workers and residents at long-term care facilities.

Phase 1B includes individuals over age 65 or with a chronic medical condition who are considered to be high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

In order to receive a vaccine, members of the public must register online with the hub where they plan to be vaccinated.

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