BC now has access to Pfizer’s Paxlovid to fight severe illness from COVID-19 | FULL

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that some British Columbians will now have access to a new medication in the fight against COVID-19.

B.C. has received 4,000 treatment courses of Pfizer's antiviral pill Paxlovid, which will be available to some critically extremely vulnerable people in designated groups.

This includes people undergoing cancer treatment, recent transplant patients and the severely immunocompromised, for example.

"This is a very challenging medication combination," she explained. "It can't be used in some cases and it also has some very important drug interactions."

Public health officials will reach out to eligible patients proactively, Henry said.

The medication must also be used within five days of symptom onset in COVID-positive patients, she added, and public health officials are aligning their COVID-19 testing strategy to match.

Meanwhile, the provincial health officer believes B.C. has reached its peak for hospitalizations.

For more info, please go to: https://globalnews.ca/news/8585978/bc-live-covid-update-february-1

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