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Health Check: Antibody cocktails against Covid

Magazines & Reviews

Computer illustration of the release of monoclonal antibodies

2021/08/25 GMT

Antibody cocktails against Covid

BBC World Service - Health Check, Antibody cocktails against Covid

When should Covid antibody treatment be used?

Designer antibodies treat Covid; vaccinating undocumented migrants; heat and health

Trials have shown that cocktails of antibodies are effective against Covid, and one called Ronapreve has just been approved for use in the UK, following in the footsteps of Japan and the US. Claudia Hammond talks to Penny Ward, Professor of Pharmaceutical Medicine at Kings College, London, about how these monoclonal antibodies work and where they are best used, given that they are very expensive. 

The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organisation for Migration have called on governments to ensure that everyone is included in vaccination plans, including refugees and internally displaced people. Samara Linton reports on how undocumented migrants, in South East Asia and in the UK, are getting vaccinated against Covid. 

The increased heat we are experiencing with climate change is causing deaths in people with underlying health conditions. Professor Kristie Ebi of the University of Washington tells Claudia about what we can do to keep cool, in particular in places without air conditioning. 

And family doctor Graham Easton comments on these stories and discusses the relationship between Covid and heat. 

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer:  Deborah Cohen 

(Picture: Computer illustration of the release of monoclonal antibodies. Credit: Nanoclustering/Science Photo Library/Getty Images.)

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