Antibody drugs for COVID are cumbersome tool against surges

Monoclonal antibodies can hold the coronavirus in check by mimicking the body’s natural immune defenses. The drugs, produced by Regeneron and Eli Lilly, can keep people with mild to moderate COVID-19 out of the hospital and have emergency authorization for people over 65, as well as others with certain underlying health conditions. On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged people in her state who qualify for these drugs to seek them out, recalling that President Trump took the treatment after he fell ill with COVID-19.