Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday after having a “brief and mild” bout with the infection this week.
In video posted on Twitter, the Republican governor, whose office announced four days ago that he had tested positive for the virus but was not experiencing symptoms, said he had been told that his illness was short and mild because he was vaccinated.
His office added that he had received Regeneron’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment on Tuesday. The treatment, containing the antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab administered through an IV or injection, has been reported to decrease the chances of hospitalization by 70 percent.
Abbott encouraged Texans who have yet to be vaccinated to consider taking the shots.
His office also said on Tuesday that the Regeneron treatment is “available at no cost to all Texans who get a doctor’s referral.”
The Trump administration in its last days signed off the deal with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. for 1.25 million doses at a cost to the taxpayer of $2.625 billion.
The FDA has authorized the treatment for non-hospitalized, non-oxygenated COVID-19 patients who doctors identify as at high-risk of becoming seriously ill. Possible side effects of the treatment include anaphylaxis and infusion-related reactions, fever, chills, hives, itching, and flushing, according to the FDA.
“It is recommended that Texans testing positive for COVID-19 seek this antibody therapeutic drug because of its effectiveness to help keep people out of hospitals,” it stated.
A vial of Regeneron's COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment in a file photo. (Bernard Chantal/Shutterstock)
A man enters the Regeneron Clinic at a monoclonal antibody treatment site in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Abbott said he will continue to quarantine at the recommendation of doctors and will work to open infusion centers for antibody therapy treatment across Texas.
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