Get Paxlovid to treat COVID at nearly 90 Hamilton pharmacies

COVID antiviral treatment Paxlovid is now available for free at nearly 90 Hamilton pharmacies.

Better access to the medication is considered key to safeguarding the health-care system as the province is well into wave six of the pandemic, driven by the new, more transmissible BA.2 subvariant, waning immunity, and lifting of public health measures," shows projections released Thursday by the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

While wastewater surveillance suggests community transmission may have peaked, it's uncertain whether the current plateau will hold, decrease or increase after Easter and Ramadan.

We really don't know yet how this all plays out," Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of the table, said Tuesday.

Premier Doug Ford told Ontarians to continue to be cautious" on Thursday and said it was common sense" to wear a mask in crowded indoor settings.

No matter whether the wave has peaked or not, hospitalizations are expected to rise for some time" so using Paxlovid to help keep the most vulnerable from becoming severely ill is a key line of defence.

It is critical that all Ontarians have equitable access," stated the science table while noting so far this has been uneven across socioeconomic groups."

A list of pharmacies dispensing the treatment for free with a prescription was put out by the province Wednesday at Ontario.ca/antivirals. It includes more than 60 sites in the old city of Hamilton and nearly 30 more in Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Waterdown, Hannon and Binbrook.

Paxlovid is a game changer," Hamilton infectious disease physician Dr. Zain Chagla tweeted April 11. Not only because of how it works, but the fact it is a pill, which means it can be distributed widely."

While the treatment is now easier to get, public awareness remains a challenge. It's significant because antivirals must be taken within five days of the initial symptoms. That timeline can be a tall order considering a positive test is required - it can be a rapid antigen or PCR test. In addition, Ontarians need a prescription to get Paxlovid.

As a result, Hamilton's medical officer of health suggests those at high-risk consult their health-care providers now and a have a plan in place to get tested and treated fast if they develop symptoms of Omicron, which include headache, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, gastrointestinal illness or loss of smell.

Talk about in advance whether or not you're eligible," said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson.

The province expanded eligibility to Paxlovid on April 11, including a tool to determine if you qualify at Ontario.ca/antiviralscreener.

Those who can get a PCR test and the treatment include:

• seniors age 70 and older;

• residents age 60 and older with fewer than three COVID shots;

• immunocompromised adults over age 18;

• and adults age 18 and older without three doses and at least one risk condition such as chronic illness.

Don't use a rapid antigen test to rule out infection during the first three days after symptom onset, warns the science table.

Rapid antigen tests have lost some of their sensitivity, especially early during an infection," stated the projections.

Instead, at least two negative tests are now required at least 24 hours apart. It's also important to perform the tests right, which include sampling the mouth, throat and nose.

The importance of Paxlovid was emphasized by Ford as he cited antiviral treatments as one of the reasons he's confident the health-care system will be able to withstand the sixth wave.

The number of COVID patients in Hamilton hospitals climbed to 90 on Thursday compared to 78 the day before. Another big strain is absences with 614 staff and physicians self-isolating as the Easter weekend approached.

Provincewide, the science table has found that COVID cases in health-care workers have reached the same level as the peak of the fifth wave in January.

High infection rates in health-care workers are stressing hospital operations and affect the ability to provide health-care services," stated the science table.

Juni said the workforce absences reflect really high community transmission."

The challenges for the hospitals will just be considerable," he said.

The high numbers of staff off work come at the same time Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is reporting significant overcrowding with occupancy at 111 per cent at Juravinski Hospital on Thursday and 104 per cent at Hamilton General. Ideal is up to 90 per cent.

Despite having a pandemic backlog of 14,585 surgeries, both HHS and St. Joseph's Healthcare have stopped bringing back phased services while the sixth wave is potentially at its height.

The city reported 22 outbreaks in high-risk settings Thursday including 14 seniors' homes.

The bottom line is us as a health-care system need to innovate to get treatments out there to the right people," tweeted Chagla, co-medical director of infection control at St. Joseph's. Providers need to get comfortable with this drug being a part of our future."

He pointed out, The payoff is huge."

Preventing hospitalizations not only allows us to live with COVID, but ... it's $23,000 for a COVID hospitalization."

Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com