Over the past two years, many new COVID-19 therapies have been designed, developed and rigorously tested. We now have a handful of safe and effective treatments from monoclonal antibodies to antivirals that can help people with COVID-19 avoid severe outcomes like hospitalization and death.

But when it comes to COVID-19, things change fast, and it can be hard to keep up with what treatments are available and recommended. While certain therapies might work well against the dominant variants circulating today which is looking more and more like the BA.2 subvariant of omicron that could all change when the next variant comes along.

On top of that, there are some nuances as to which treatments make sense for whom. Most of the therapies out there are intended for high-risk patients and some arent recommended for pregnant people or those taking certain medications like blood thinners or organ transplant drugs.

Its important to talk to your doctor and they can review your list of medications and see which therapy is the right one for you, said Thomas Lew , a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University.

Heres a guide to the COVID-19 treatments currently available:

Monoclonal Antibodies

What it is: Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced antibodies that help block a virus from invading our cells; in the case where the virus has already invaded our cells, monoclonal antibodies kickstart the immune systems fight against the virus. Theyre administered via infusion.

Where were at with it: Monoclonal antibodies are targeted to a very specific virus, so they work best when they are used against the variant they are designed to treat. As the coronavirus mutates, the efficacy of our monoclonal antibodies tends to take a hit in fact, a lot of the monoclonal antibodies we used earlier in the pandemic are no longer effective.

The landscape of monoclonal antibodies is always changing as the virus changes, Lew said. For example, sotrovimab worked well against the original omicron (BA.1), but isnt as effective against BA.2, so is being shelved in areas predominantly battling BA.2. Thankfully, another monoclonal antibody called bebtelovimab still appears to work great against BA.2, Lew said.

Who qualifies: Monoclonal antibodies are typically reserved for high-risk patients who are not hospitalized and do not require oxygen but are at-risk for developing severe disease. This includes people over the age of 65, along with pregnant individuals and those with an underlying medical condition such as obesity, an organ transplant, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease or lung disease. Patients must be older than 12 and weigh at least 88 pounds. Once a person is hospitalized or requires oxygen, they no longer qualify for monoclonal antibodies, according to Scott Roberts , a Yale Medicine infectious diseases physician.

When to start treatment: Within seven days of symptom onset. Test early, and if you qualify, start treatment immediately even if you only have mild, cold-like symptoms.

How to get it: At an infusion center, hospital or urgent care. If you have a doctor, ask them where you can get tested and access the treatment in your region. You can find nearby locations that offer monoclonal antibodies here .