COVID Strike Team lends hand to YRMC
U.S. Air Force medical professionals work to help YRMC patients recover faster - 13 On Your Side's Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA/KECY) - As COVID cases continue to soar, Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) is working around the clock to care for the influx of patients. Thankfully, the hospital has extra help.
The COVID Strike Team is a group of 15 medical professionals from the U.S. Air Force. Together with YRMC, they are able to treat more patients and even help with monoclonal antibodies… a leading treatment in the fight against COVID, but according to Nurse Practitioner Luz Wiley, the usual medication used for the treatment seems to not stand up to the omicron variant, and YRMC now faces new challenges due to a low supply.
"Incredibly busy. The demand was very, very high. And with, you know, the staffing that we have, it just, to safely give monoclonal, we were only able to do six per day. So three in the morning, three in the afternoon. And by mid-December, the numbers of referrals was just too much," says Yuma Regional Medical Center Transitional Care Director and Nurse Practitioner Luz Wiley.
The usual monoclonal antibody treatment involves a drug called Regeneron. To fight the omicron variant, medical providers use a medicine called Sotrovimab… something that is harder to come by.
"Giving the monoclonal antibody transfusion is designed to kind of shortcut the get well time, to decrease the amount of symptoms, the severity of symptoms.
Also, we don’t have to overwhelm the hospital staff any more than they already are," explains U.S. Air Force Registered Nurse Captain Daniel Carter.
Even with supply challenges, the COVID Strike Team also helps with daily operations.
"Patient care, for providing a multi-pronged approach to the COVID response.
Some of us are working in the in-patient area. Some of us are doing monoclonal infusions and testing and vaccines and triaging.
We’re really here to kind of fit into the YRMC mold," says Captain Carter.
YRMC says having the COVID Strike Team has made a big difference.
"They’re really flexible and easy to work with and they’re fast learners, for sure, and they’re a big help," explains Yuma Regional Medical Center Registered Nurse Iriana Munoz.
The hospital hopes to receive more monoclonal antibody medication in a couple of days.
The treatment is for COVID-positive patients and is offered on a referral and qualification basis.
Patients who are interested in the treatment are encouraged to check with their primary care provider, who will be able to assess the qualifications for each patient.
