The highly effective antiviral medicine Paxlovid, for treating mild to moderate COVID-19, is available locally.
Paxlovid, a five-day course of two separate medications, is available to those 12 and up who have tested positive for COVID and are at high risk for getting severe COVID. Paxlovid has been proven to reduce the chance of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 by nearly 90%.
It must be started within five days of symptom onset. High risk persons include those who are 65 or older and those with underlying conditions such as cancer, diabetes or obesity.
People with severe liver or kidney disease should NOT receive Paxlovid. It is very important for all people with high risk medical conditions to contact their health care provider if they contract COVID-19 to see what treatments are available.
Because treatment with Paxlovid must begin within five days of symptoms, it is also important to get tested right away as soon as any symptoms develop. If you don’t already have a home test, you can call North Central Public Health District for testing at 541-506-2600.
Paxlovid is available at Mid-Columbia Medical Center, which has given the medicine to over 20 people. Though the medicine is highly effective, it is widely seen as being considerably underutilized at this time.
One Community Health is working with the Oregon Health Authority to offer what will most likely be Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, another antiviral medicine, to its patients.
On March 1, President Biden announced a new initiative to make Paxlovid more widely available. The initiative will launch later in March, at which time people would be able to receive Paxlovid, upon testing positive for COVID-19 at certain national-chain pharmacies or designated locations.
No local pharmacies are participating in that program at this time. A factsheet on Paxlovid can be found here.
Vaccination remains the best line of defense against COVID-19 and can prevent infection altogether. While antiviral drugs and other treatments are an important advancement, they are not 100% effective in reducing risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19, and they are no substitute for getting vaccinated.
(For more information, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon, contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600, visit us on the web at www.ncphd.org or find us on Facebook.)