New York City offers free same-day delivery of COVID-19 antiviral pills

New York City Mayor Eric Adams had lots of good news to share over the weekend, including the availability of COVID-19 antiviral drugs that New Yorkers could have delivered to their doorsteps for free.

Adams held a press conference over the weekend he touted that more than 75% of all New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, more than 11% ahead of the national average. The mayor also announced that oral antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 infections are now available free of charge same day through the city’s health department partner pharmacy, Alto Pharmacy.

However, since antiviral pills are in short supply, those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at higher risk of serious illness will be prioritized for treatment.

Ted Long, ssenior vice president of ambulatory care and population health at New York City Health+ hospitals, said in a statement that “As a primary care physician here in the Bronx, I have been fighting for two years to help my COVID patients and I dream of the day when I could give them a pill that could save their lives,”

“Today, that day has finally arrived – and we’ll even deliver this pill to your doorstep to remove all the barriers that keep New Yorkers from getting this life-saving treatment.”

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Long also said those who don’t have a doctor who can prescribe COVID-19 medication can still call the city’s hotline at 212-COVID19 for help.

Currently, there are two oral home medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, Paxlovid by Pfizer and Molnupiravir from Merck. Both pills help prevent the virus from reproducing, which reduces the amount of virus in the body and prevents symptoms from worsening.

Both drugs required a series of pills to be taken daily. Paxlovid is prescribed as three tablets taken together twice a day for five days, i.e. 30 tablets. Molnupiravir requires four tablets every 12 hours for five days, for a total of 40 tablets.

However, the two pills are not a substitute for vaccination, with the FDA reiterating that neither pill is authorized as pre-exposure or post-exposure prevention for COVID-19.

There are also monoclonal antibody treatments available as COVID-19 treatments, but they can only be given in a hospital or health care facility capable of providing acute care comparable to hospital inpatient care.

Adams’ announcement comes as the New York State Department of Health announced four confirmed cases of the new omicron BA.2 subvariant. Although the World Health Organization does not consider BA.2 cause for concern as more infections pop-ups in countries around the world.

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