Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics is Key to Mitigating COVID-19 Impact Among Underserved Communities

As L.A. County continues to slow community transmission of COVID-19, and access to effective therapeutics improves, equitable distribution of COVID-19 treatments is a critical issue.  As supply of these medicines increases, information and access about therapeutics must be available across the county, particularly in those communities with residents at elevated risk of poor outcomes should they become infected with COVID.

Several free treatment options are available and can be used to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. Treatments are available for those who are at increased risk of severe disease, test positive for COVID-19, and have any symptoms, even mild ones (such as runny nose or cough). Five therapeutic options have been authorized by the FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 in individuals ages 12 and over who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness:

• Oral Therapeutics (Pills)
• Paxlovid (must be taken within 5 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
• Molnupiravir (must be taken within 5 days of first COVID-19 symptom) **Oral therapeutic treatments require a prescription from a healthcare provider.
• Monoclonal Antibody Intravenous (IV) and Antiviral Infusions
• Sotrovimab (must be administered within 10 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
• Remdesivir (must be given within 7 days of  first COVID-19 symptom)
• Evusheld available for people who can’t get a COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons, or who may not respond well to a vaccine because they have a weak immune system due to a medical condition or treatment. (must be administered before a person is exposed to COVID-19 to prevent them from getting infected).

In total, more than 60,000 doses of these three COVID-19 therapeutics have been distributed across LA County since they first became available in December.

Residents who want to access these medicines or have questions on which treatment is right for them should contact their medical provider or call the COVID-19 information line between 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily at 833-540-0473. The call center is a free resource where residents can get culturally and linguistically appropriate information about available therapeutics, and how to access them. Public Health is working to enroll enough providers to ensure a vast network of sites that can provide information, have a supply of therapeutics, and prescribing ability across the county, with emphasis on ensuring equitable distribution among hard hit and low-resourced communities.

As Public Health continues to build out the network of providers, a pilot will be launched using telehealth platforms at select sites to augment locations that can prescribe and distribute oral therapeutics in low resource communities.