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COEUR d’ALENE — Monoclonal antibody treatments are working, said Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday. But the vaccine is better when it comes to combating COVID-19, he added.

“Monoclonal antibody treatments are one more tool in our toolbox to save lives and reduce hospitalizations,” he said during a tour of the state-sponsored monoclonal antibody treatment facility at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. “We are doing what we can to make these life-saving treatments widely available, but Idahoans are urged to choose to receive the vaccine to protect themselves and ensure healthcare access is available to all.”

The state of Idaho is partnering with Heritage Health and Northwest Specialty Hospital to provide the treatments. The state also recently partnered with Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls to offer the treatments, and another location will be set up soon in the Treasure Valley.

The community administration site in Coeur d’Alene has been in operation since Sept. 15. It’s open three days a week and is treating the maximum 48 patients each day.

So far, 198 patients have received REGEN-COV treatment. Of those, 103 were from orders written by community providers, and 87 were age 65 and over. The youngest was 16 years old, and the oldest was 94.

In most instances, individuals must test positive for COVID-19 and have a doctor’s referral to receive the treatments.

“We want to get them in as fast as possible after they have a positive,” said Leslie Stone, vice president of clinical operations. “So that's what we're looking at. And we want to get them to the site quickly and get them treated as quickly as possible."

After patients are treated, they remain on site in an observation area for 60 minutes. There are also follow-up calls.

Stone said there have been no problems.

“We are hearing from patients that they're having great outcomes,” she said.

Antibody treatments have received Emergency Use Authorization. Little asked if any patients who received monoclonal antibody treatments were later hospitalized.

Peter Purrington, Heritage Health chief clinical officer, said they have not had any reports of that happening.

“That is great. That is wonderful,” the governor said.

He said that the treatments have helped hundreds of Idahoans avoid being hospitalized, which helps preserve healthcare capacity.

“With the fact that none of them have gone to the hospital, that’s exactly what the goal is,” Little said.

The three state-sponsored facilities are in addition to the 32 Idaho hospitals that offer monoclonal antibody infusions.

Kootenai Health has been providing the service in an outpatient area but will be discontinuing it soon. It will refer to the community administration site “so that they can repurpose their staff back to the acute care hospital. So they're going to transfer all the patients that require the monoclonal antibody treatment to this facility,” Purrington said

Little said an antibody treatment runs about $2,000, underwritten by taxpayers, while a vaccine shot is about $20.

“I want to remind everybody that the monoclonal antibody treatment, whether it be the injection or the infusion, is a second to people getting vaccinated,” he said.