How many treatments of antibody plasma can a normal citizen get?
I get the sense that absolutely every treatment that showed any promise has been administered.
And I agree with the recklessness, especially the message that it isn't anything to be afraid of. How many people have the resources that a president has at their disposal with total around the clock commitment?
Except for the Regeneron REGEN-COV2, Trump's treatment wasn't that unusual.
He tested positive, and isolated at home. His O2 sat dropped below 94%. At that time, the standard of care is hospitalization and supplemental O2. I'm sure he didn't want to go. Once he's hospitalized, on O2, then Remdesivir is indicated. Standard procedure.
Dexamethasone use doesn't have such strict protocols. Some evidence of lung damage would probably be good enough. That would include some markers of inflammation like C-reactive protein. Low lymphocyte counts would be a concern, some other values too. Imaging would be ordered, which is moving away from plain x-rays, toward CT scans and even lung ultrasounds, which can be done quickly at the bedside, without the radiation exposure of a CT, and can follow progression of lung involvement. I think the dose is 6mg twice a day, less than a neurosurgeon might use. The lab and imaging data hasn't been released and the TV doctors are having fits about it.
He didn't get convalescent plasma. That's an effort to give antibodies to someone but it isn't really possible to know how much of the antibody is really going to be strong and protective.
The Regeneron product is even better than convalescent plasma, we hope. It has 2 distinct antibodies, handpicked for strong binding to the Spike Protein. Didn't seem to do Trump any harm, he's doing great. The one dose he got would be considered something like a 2-4 week supply, and not meant to be repeated. This drug would be incredibly difficult for an average person to get right now, though I suspect some other rich or important people in the world could get it. Turns out the CEO of Regeneron has known Trump for years from the golf links.
That doesn't bother me. A world leader probably should have early access to a good drug.