After yesterday’s announcement that Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19, his office said he was receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this is a one-time treatment that is administered intravenously. The drug is a combination of two antibodies that can fight off the virus before it has a chance to take hold and do more damage.

According to a report by Bloomberg, recent data shows this treatment cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by roughly 70 percent in high-risk patients, and can reduce the chance of infection among a patient’s household members by more than 80 percent. However, it cannot be used on patients who are already hospitalized with COVID-19 or on oxygen therapy.

The FDA says Regeneron’s antibody treatment is not a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19 and still urges all eligible people to get vaccinated. 

Abbott received the Pfizer vaccine last December and reports no signs of COVID-19 symptoms so far. He is quarantined in the governor’s mansion in Austin.