GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay announced Thursday they've received remdesivir, an antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19.
The HSHS hospitals said in a news release they are among hospitals across Wisconsin to receive the drug. The FDA approved remdesivir on May 1 for emergency use for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, and who relying on oxygen therapy or who may be on a ventilator. The antiviral drug is administered through your veins.
The drug is limited, HSHS St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospitals have received enough remdesivir from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to treat a total of seven patients.
The two hospitals also said they are using convalescent plasma to help treat coronavirus patients. According to the hospitals' news release, convalescent plasma is from blood donated by those who have recovered from COVID-19 and have developed antibodies to the disease. It is shown to help boost a patient’s ability to fight the virus, according to the hospitals.
The hospitals said a total of 33 patients have received convalescent plasma at HSHS St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospitals since late April.
