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The CDPH also presented the latest data on ongoing disparities in getting treatment a major in some racial\/ethnic and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n
Dr Nguyen provided an overview about the therapeutics that are currently available and how they can be accessed, what new treatments may be in the pipeline and new data on ongoing disparities in the treatment for some of the racial and ethnic and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the winter surge and we are already seeing increases in hospitalization rates. For COVID, rates are certainly increasing, especially after the Thanksgiving holidays and we expect even more towards the Christmas holidays, and as we head through December,\u201d said Dr Nguyen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat really makes me anxious is that shame of missing this opportunity where we can do something about this surge, that’s never happened in the last three years of this pandemic. This is the first winter surge of a three-year pandemic where we have treatments that are highly effective, readily available, and free to the public, and we know that most folks aren’t accessing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I reflect in the last three years of this pandemic, early on we didn’t have much, and we were scrambling to get even testing up and running.<\/p>\n
\u201cMasking is and continues to be a great preventative measure. We needed to develop testing; we then developed vaccines; that’s an amazing science breakthrough, and now treatments. But folks are understandably COVID-fatigued and have stopped listening after vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe treatments are amazing technological advance that we were able to bring to bring forward and now it’s available to people who aren’t hospitalized.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a different surge, as much as people want to tune it out and not pay attention, there’s something different about this one. Although we’ve done this great job of informing people that when you test positive for COVID you should isolate and continue doing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to change the narrative that it’s isolate and seek treatment. There’s something else you can do now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think back to the early 2020, people were desperate for this moment of when one tests positive for COVID-19, there’s something to do about it other than sit tight and hope for the best. Now we can seek treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a reminder to not forget about the rest of the toolbox, especially as we have this early and fast rise in RSV and flu cases, all these respiratory viruses are overwhelming our hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive tips to prevent winter viruses \u2013 getting vaccinated, staying up to date with both your flu vaccines and your COVID vaccines; getting treated if you do test positive for COVID or seeking evaluation for treatment; staying home if you’re sick; testing to figure out if it’s even COVID, and if it is, then try to seek treatment; wearing your mask especially in crowded places, especially around young kids who can’t wear masks; washing your hands; and covering your cough or sneeze.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe COVID-19 treatments are medications that can stop COVID from getting serious. They either come in pill or IV form. A vast majority of folks take the pill, which is much easier, than going for an infusion. They’re free, paid for by the federal government. The pills widely available and they’re highly effective treatment. The key is to take the medication within five to seven days of symptom onset, that means the day you start feeling that runny nose or cough, is when you need to start counting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as you start to feel sick, test right away, so that you can then get evaluated for treatment. Don’t wait till the illness gets worse. The whole point of the treatment is to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death. If you wait too long, then you might be outside the window of treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drugs that are out there today are effective. Paxlovid is the most effective pill in most cases. The other is called Remdesirvir, an IV medication. They are all antivirals so the reasons to get COVID-19 treatments is that they are highly effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death by up to 50-88 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven among those who are vaccinated, it decreases risk by 45-50 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my motivators is early yet growing evidence that treatments may lower the risk of developing long COVID symptoms and ailments that may continue for months, weeks, years, we’re not even sure how long.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t want brain fog so anything I can do to prevent that I’ll go for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have plenty of supply. Majority of adults are eligible. Nobody thinks of themselves as \u2018high risk.\u2019 The truth is most of us are. Anyone who’s over the year over 12-years-old qualifies. You need to have symptoms of COVID-19 and you must have a positive test, and folks who just seek treatment, they should not roll themselves out.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnybody over the age of 50, even if you have no other health conditions, just your age puts you at higher risk. Just the fact that you are unvaccinated puts you at risk, and having common conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, being physically inactive, smoking, even if it was past smoking, and the list goes on and on. The point here being, let a clinician help you figure out whether you qualify,\u201d said Dr Nguyen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not that straightforward in the American Healthcare System and this is part of the reason why communities of color and low-income communities are having trouble accessing healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can’t figure out any other way to get to provider quickly then the state has a Telehealth<\/a> line that can connect you to a same-day provider, who talk to you about whether or not you qualify, and then they can send the prescription to your pharmacy.<\/p>\n