Public Health Continues Expanding COVID-19 Therapeutic Awareness and Access

Increasing the awareness and access of COVID-19 therapeutics that can prevent severe illness in individuals at elevated risk is a priority of the County’s post-surge plan. 

These free medications can help prevent serious illness, hospitalization, or death, and are particularly critical for residents at elevated risk of poor outcomes should they become infected with COVID. 

Paxlovid (available for anyone 12 and older weighing more than 88 pounds) and Molnupiravir (available for adults 18 and older) are oral therapeutics that must be taken within 5 days of the first COVID-19 symptoms and require a prescription from a healthcare provider. Evulsheld is administered via injection and is available for anyone 12 and older weighing at least 88 pounds who has not been exposed to COVID-19 and 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.

Public Health is working with partners and providers to inform patients about these medications, including the Los Angeles County Medical Association or LACMA and the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County or CCALAC. Public Health is also dispatching community health workers in the field and expanding efforts to raise awareness about therapeutics, sponsoring radio PSA’s and commissioning print, digital and social media ads. 

To ensure access to COVID therapeutics across the county, Public Health is working to enroll new providers in a network of sites that can provide information to residents and have sufficient supply of these life-saving therapeutics, particularly in those communities with residents at elevated risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes. Public Health will also be launching a pilot project aimed at providing a telehealth option for patients who are unable to access care or are uninsured. Patients testing positive at selected testing sites in under-served communities will be linked to a telehealth option and, if eligible, will be shipped medications at no cost. 

The federal government also recently announced the “Test to Treat” program, which is launching this week and will allow patients to walk into local pharmacies and clinics with onsite clinics to get tested and treated on the same visit at the same location. Eighteen CVS Minute Clinics in LA County are participating in the first wave and can be found by visiting: https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic. 

Residents who would like 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 at 833-540-0473, 8:00 am – 8:30 pm daily. The call center is a free resource where residents can get culturally and linguistically appropriate information about available therapeutics, and how to access them. Residents can also visit the Federal therapeutics locator to find available therapeutics near them. 

To date, 17,840 doses of Paxlovid, 37,748 doses of Molnupiravir, and 12,936 doses of Evusheld have been distributed across LA County.