How can I get Paxlovid, the COVID-19 pill? Access to COVID treatments remains a challenge
CBSN
Despite evidence showing the fast-spreading Omicron variant may pose a smaller risk of severe COVID-19 compared to the Delta variant, public health officials have warned for months that millions of Americans remain at high risk of severe illness and death from the strain.
For those who are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19, providers say patients must act quickly to contact their doctor if they test positive, because medications that can help curb their risk of hospitalization need to be started early.
"These medicines have a sweet spot. If the day you get diagnosed COVID you say 'forget it, I'll be fine,' and then several days later you start getting short of breath, that medicine is no longer going to work," said Dr. David Chansolme, medical director of infection prevention at Integris Health in Oklahoma.
