NYC expands access to antiviral Paxlovid in new phase of 'war' against Covid-19

The New York City Health authorities put themselves in another trench in the battle against the Covid pandemic-19. Now, the “Test and Trace” program is renamed “Test and Treat”.

In practice, this means that the priority is to expand mobile rapid and reliable testing sites. Those who test positive for coronavirus will have immediate access to the drug Paxlovid.

“The distribution of the new treatment is the defining characteristic of this stage in the war against the pandemic. This is how we prevent those infected from having to be hospitalized. And we can save more lives,” explained Dr. Ted Long, Director of the New York City Test and Treatment Corps and Vice President of Ambulatory Care for NYC Health + Hospitals.

The new name of the program, Test and Treatment (NYC Test & Treat Corps), offers a hotline 000 hours a day, 7 days a week for request antiviral treatment at home.

To promote this effort, the City announced the expansion of the country’s first mobile ‘Test to Treat’ program in more than 30 units, including locations focused on providing care to homeless New Yorkers.

In general, this is the first mobile program in the country where Paxlovir can be received, minutes after a positive test.

“The ‘Test to Treat’ mobile units build on the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration to provide access to free testing and treatment,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, COVID Response Coordinator-13 from the White House.

Learning to live with Covid-19

The use of the drug Paxlovid reduces the risk of serious illnesses due to COVID-infection 19, but according to clinical observations, it should be started within five days after the appearance of the first symptoms.

Before this antiviral appeared on the market, the ‘Tests and Tracking’ program put together a strategy that combined mass testing, monitoring of those who may have been exposed to the virus, and options for safe isolation.

Then the New York City Department of Health (DOHMH) promoted the campaign for vaccination with the new drugs from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson&Johnson.

“Now is the time to focus on the next phase of the pandemic, with the guarantee of treatment for all New Yorkers, as what we learn to v living with COVID-19,” said Mitchell Katz, president of the Public Hospitals Corporation (NYC Health + Hospitals).

In the last seven days, in the five counties of the Big Apple, the level of positivity of COVID-19 remains at 13.5%, with an average of 3,900 daily cases, about 82 hospitalizations and nine deaths, according with data shared by DOHMH. A very different scenario from the first days of January when the omicron variant triggered the contagion curve to 40,000 daily cases.

An article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association recognized that the widespread and equitable distribution of treatments for COVID-19 in the city of New York, has driven a 50% higher Paxlovid utilization rate across the country, as of the end of June.

The study argues that the high use of this drug has significantly reduced hospitalizations and admissions to the intensive care unit.

How to access the Test and Treatment plan?

The NYC Test & Treat Corps program provides New Yorkers with access to testing free of COVID-24 regardless of location, ability to pay, insurance, or immigration status and ensures that anyone with the virus can be quickly connected to life-saving treatment. To learn more about these services visit: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org
• The ‘Test to Treat’ mobile program operates testing sites with on-site doctors who can prescribe antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid, minutes after a positive test.

New Yorkers who test positive on a home test can also call the City’s COVID Hotline, 212-COVID-19 (212-268-4319) to connect with doctors who can prescribe Paxlovid and arrange to have it delivered to their homes that same day.

• To New Yorkers who test positive in one of the 30 mobile testing units will be offered the opportunity to interact with a physician on site and, if eligible, will receive the antiviral medication Paxlovid free of charge.
The ‘Test to Treat’ mobile program expansion includes units operated by the Street program Health Outreach + Wellness, a mobile health initiative focused on treating homeless New Yorkers and those historically disconnected from care.
• By visiting nyc.gov/covidtest you can find the nearest City-run testing site, including filtering testing sites by ‘Test to Treat’, mobile testing, or test distribution locations at home.