Social Determinants of Monoclonal Antibody Treatment and Effectiveness for COVID-19

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the risks of infection, hospitalization, and death have been higher in non-white racial and Hispanic ethnic groups. Race and ethnicity often serve as proxies for complex social determinants of health (SDOH) such as healthcare access and occupational exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Prevalence of chronic conditions associated with severe COVID-19 is also higher in racial and ethnic minority groups. Because of these observations, there has been heightened interest in understanding the distribution and effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments in these groups. In this session, findings of neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nMAb) treatment distribution and effectiveness in historically disadvantaged populations from a consortium study of diverse health systems will be presented. We found significant differences in the composition of treated vs. non-treated patients according to SDOH factors. However, medical factors were more predictive of severe COVID-19 than SDOH characteristics and nMAb treatment benefited all racial subgroups with lower rates of hospitalization and death. This session will conclude with health system learnings about increasing outreach and uptake of COVID-19 interventions in historically disadvantaged populations to promote equitable distribution.

VIDEO:  Hear Dr. Francis Campion's insights on this session.