WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County man said the antibody treatment made by the company Regeneron offered him a quick recovery after getting a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
Fully vaccinated from the virus, the 29-year-old had a serious bout with COVID-19 last Friday.
"I had significant head congestion, and the headache came on pretty intently," Cooley said.
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With his doctor's recommendation, Cooley went to a state clinic for antibody treatment.
Cooley said he received the four shots and went home to recover.
"Within 12 to 14 hours, [I] started feeling better the following day, so the next day after treatment, I would say I was 80 to 90 percent better," Cooley said. "I feel 100 percent recovered right now."
His case even caught the attention of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been promoting the recently-established clinics that offer the antibody treatment.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Larry Bush said the treatment made by Regeneron can work, but it's not for all patients.
He said Cooley's breakthrough case may have been the result of a preexisting condition.
"It's very rare, and it still makes up a minority of the hospitalizations, so even the people who wind up in the hospital are breakthrough cases, which is the minority," Bush said. "They are not in the ICU."
Even with the antibody treatment, Cooley believes the vaccine still helped in his recovery.
"Between the vaccine and the Regeneron, I think my recovery was remarkably quick, and I certainly feel way better," Cooley said.