BREAKING SPORTS NEWS: The entire National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament will be held at the University of North Dakota's Ralph Engelstad Arena in a single-elimination format. Quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 12-13, and the semifinals and championship on Monday, March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, respectively. All four quarterfinal match-ups will be available on NCHC.tv, while CBS Sports Network will broadcast the Frozen Faceoff semifinals and championship game. All game times are still to be determined. Read more at UMDBulldogs.com

FAMILY HEALTH

New COVID-19 treatment offered more broadly at Essentia Health

By Louie St. George III
Essentia Health is offering a new treatment for people diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for severe complications and hospitalization.

The drug, called bamlanivimab, is a monoclonal antibody recently authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It must be given within 10 days of the start of symptoms and as soon as possible after a positive COVID-19 test.
Patients must meet certain criteria set by the FDA to qualify for the treatment. There is a limited supply of bamlanivimab so it is being allocated by federal and state agencies.

More than 200 appointments are available each week across Essentia Health. The therapy is offered at these local locations:

. Duluth: Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center, 407 E. Third St.

. Virginia: Essentia Health Urgent Care, 901 Ninth St. N.

People who have a positive COVID-19 test at any Essentia Health site are automatically screened for the FDA’s criteria. Those who were tested at other sites can call a toll-free hotline at 1-833-769-1524 to be screened. Hotline hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Health care providers can refer a patient by calling Essentia Health’s STAT Doc line.
Due to the limited supply of the drug, eligible patients are randomly chosen by a computer for treatment, says Dr. Amanda Noska, an Essentia Health infectious disease physician. Those patients are contacted by a registered nurse from Essentia Health and then scheduled for an exam and an intravenous infusion. Randomized selection is an ethical method for choosing who gets access to the treatment, said Dr. Noska.

Bamlanivimab treatment has been authorized by the FDA for patients age 12 or older who are at high risk for severe complications and/or hospitalization. Children must weigh at least 40 kilograms or 88 pounds.

Qualified patients include those who:

. Have the COVID-19 virus

. Are within 10 days of beginning mild to moderate symptoms and

. Meet at least one risk factor identified by the FDA
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that help the body protect itself against viruses. Bamlanivimab is made specifically to act against the COVID-19 virus.

Like the COVID-19 vaccines, bamlanivimab is investigational. That means it is not yet approved by the FDA for any conditions and is still being tested in research studies. It has, however, been authorized by the FDA for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency determined it is reasonable to believe bamlanivimab may be effective in certain patients. In one trial study, it was found to lower the possibility patients needing an emergency room or hospital visit.
ON CAMPUS

The College of St. Scholastica announces new virtual concert series
 
The College of St. Scholastica today announced its new Live from the Mitchell concert series.
 
The concert series will feature performances by musicians from Greater Minnesota and will include interviews from Brittany Lind, host of The Duluth Local Show airing weekly on the concert series’ promotional sponsor, The Current.
 
This first of the series will feature the acoustic ska duo Woodblind from 7-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13. The event will be broadcast from the Mitchell Auditorium and live streamed on facebook.com/stscholastica and YouTube.com/SaintScholastica.
 
Woodblind is made up of Duluthians Jason Wussow and Viekko Lepisto. The concert will feature the duo along with guest musicians featured on their newest album, which was released this past summer.
SPORTS
Mythical Duluth Times High
School Boys Hockey Standings
(As of Monday, Feb. 8)

1. Duluth East 2-1-1 (7 points). Results: T Denfeld 4-4; W Cloquet 2-1; L Grand Rapids 3-0; W Cloquet 5-1. Remaining league games: host Hermantown (Tuesday), host Grand Rapids (Mar. 2), at Hermantown (Mar. 9), at Denfeld (Mar. 11). Predicted finish: 2nd
2. Grand Rapids 2-0 (6). Results: W Cloquet 6-1; W Duluth East 3-0. Remaining league games: at Hermantown (Thursday), at Duluth East (Mar. 2), host Hermantown (Mar. 4), host Cloquet (Mar. 6), at Denfeld (Mar. 16), host Denfeld (TBA). Predicted finish: 1st

3. Hermantown 1-0 (3). Results: W Cloquet 6-0. Remaining league games: at Duluth East (Tuesday), host Grand Rapids (Thursday), host Denfeld (Feb. 16), at Denfeld (Feb. 25), at Grand Rapids (Mar. 4), host Duluth East (Mar. 9), host Cloquet (Mar. 11). Predicted finish: 3rd

4. Denfeld 0-0-1 (1). Results: T Duluth East 4-4. Remaining league games: at Cloquet (Tuesday), at Hermantown (Feb. 16), host Hermantown (Feb. 25), host Cloquet (Mar. 8), host Duluth East (Mar. 11), at Grand Rapids (Mar. 16), at Grand Rapids (TBA). Predicted finish: 5th

5. Cloquet 0-4 (0). Results: L Grand Rapids 6-1; L Duluth East 2-1; L Hermantown 6-0; L Duluth East 5-1. Remaining league games: host Denfeld (Tuesday), at Grand Rapids (Mar. 6), at Denfeld (Mar. 8), at Hermantown (Mar. 11). Predicted finish: 4th

Note: Mythical Duluth Times League teams collect three points for a regulation victory, two points for an overtime victory, one point for an overtime loss, and one point apiece for an overtime tie. All teams will play each team in the league twice in home-and-home series.