As more people receive COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, some people with a compromised immune system or a history of bad reactions to vaccines may need alternate options.

Regeneron’s antibody treatment, referred to as a “COVID cocktail,” is showing promise in reducing the length and severity of the virus in people who have been exposed. It’s an injection of antibodies that could be used to protect caregivers or those who have been exposed to the virus. They’re researching whether injections of REGN-COV2, a combination of antibodies originally isolated from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, could help stop the spread. “Those antibodies...are a rapid response to the people who get COVID and that may help them reduce their symptoms or prevent hospitalizations. Or in this case, rapidly prevent COVID in people who live with people who have been diagnosed with COVID,” Dr. Gioia said.

HOUSTON – Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine are going far beyond the search for a vaccine. At the beginning of the pandemic, the BCM transformed an academic research lab studying Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in children into one that has direct access to COVID-19 patient samples. Piedra said tracking changes in the virus is key to developing a vaccine that can cover multiple strains of the virus. Researchers are also studying exactly how the virus attacks the body. “You have to follow a person.”Dr. Laura Angelo said studying antibodies also helps researchers understand how the virus is stopped.

Galveston County residents and those who live in county municipalities, which include portions of Harris County, can receive a new free COVID-19 antibody test. Hospitals throughout the state, including in Galveston County, are not at or near capacity, Governor Abbott said this week. Many antibody tests have proven to be inaccurate. He added that antibody testing also helps healthcare professionals treat those with acute coronavirus. We can contain the plasma part of the blood that contains antibodies of COVID-19, Dr. Laposata said.