Huntingdon couple Roy and Sherry Tarwater, who are 85 and 84 respectfully, sing the praises of the monoclonal antibody treatment bamlanivimab drug for COVID 19. It is now available at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Carroll County where they received their treatments.
They feel it kept them from having to be hospitalized with a more serious case of the virus. It’s a relative new treatment having been approved on Nov. 9 by the U.S Dept. of Federal Drug Administration for experimentation.
The couple was tested on Nov. 14 at Evans Clinic in Huntingdon for COVID 19 and on Nov. 17 the tests came back positive.
“We had tried to be very careful,” said Roy. “We had been eating from grocery bags. We wouldn’t go in restaurants where waitresses didn’t wear masks.”
They went to Evans Clinic to be tested because they weren’t feeling well. On Nov. 17 they found out they were indeed COVID 17 positive. Sherry had a persistent cough and a sore chest caused by all the coughing. Roy had a sinus infection that wouldn’t go away and a shortness of breath. Both lost their appetites and were very tired.
“We were sleeping 10 to 11 hours a day and also taking naps and we were still so tired,” said Roy.
However, neither had a fever or lose of taste or smell.
An allergic reaction to some medicine that Sherry was taking sent her to Baptist Memorial Hospital – Carroll County ER.
After telling the staff that they were both positive for COVID, it was then that the doctor recommended the infusion treatment for the couple.
It can only be given when no hospitalization is ordered.
“I am so proud of our ER at Baptist Hospital – Carroll County here in Huntingdon,” said Roy. “The hospital staff is so super professional and recommended that we have the infusion. I am so proud we did.”
Sherry says she believes her and her husband had light cases of the COVID 19.
“We were very thankful that the hospital could do the infusion treatment,” she said. “They advised us to do it and we did.”
Roy says he thinks they would have been sicker if they hadn’t had the infusion treatment.
The infusion that took one hour was given intravenously. They remained another hour following the treatment to make sure there was no reaction.
The couple was told it was purely experimental.
“I think the hospital here was very fortunate to get the infusion treatment for COVID 19,” said Roy
He feels that in rural counties it is very very important for state government to help these hospitals.
“There is a need and that is why we are so proud of Baptist Memorial Hospital – Carroll County,” said Roy. “We live a mile from the hospital and don’t have to drive 75 miles to a ___local hospital.”
The Tarwaters have not had any ill effects from the infusion treatments and are so thankful that they became available so they could take them.
Within 90 days they can take the vaccines and plan to do do.
