By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Wisconsin Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health wants you to know that antiviral medications, which can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by 90 percent, are now widely available.
Paxlovid and two other antiviral medications used to treat COVID-19 were approved in late December of 2021, said Dr. Jon Meiman, chief medical officer with the Wisconsin Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health, during a media briefing held online via Zoom on May 3.
There was a short supply of these drugs early on, but the supply has now increased, he said.
Because the drugs are new, it is taking time to raise healthcare provider awareness and patient awareness, Dr. Meiman said.
There are 350 retail pharmacies across the state of Wisconsin with supplies of COVID-19 antiviral medications available, he said.
While it takes time for healthcare providers to develop their protocols for prescribing the drugs, there also is still the belief they are rare and hard to get, but that is not true, Dr. Meiman said.
Paxlovid is very effective at reducing hospitalization and death by 88 percent, and it is available throughout the state, he said.
The antiviral medications must be started within five days of symptom onset, Dr. Meiman said.
For people with even slight symptoms, it is important to get tested so healthcare providers can prescribe the medications, he said.
Since the drugs reduce hospitalizations, that also helps the healthcare providers, Dr. Meiman said.
Getting tested right away is important so the treatment can start within five days of symptoms starting, he said.
It is especially important for people who are at risk of developing severe disease to be tested and to be treated with the antiviral drugs, Dr. Meiman said.
Uptick
One reporter noted that wastewater treatment testing for the SARs-CoV-2 virus shows a major increase in the Madison area lately.
The rate of COVID-19 is still relatively low in the state, but there are persistent, slow upticks in the numbers of people being diagnosed with the disease, Dr. Meiman said.
During the Omicron surge this winter, there was a high of 19,000 cases reported in one day in Wisconsin. After that, the rate fell to several hundred per day about a month ago, but the rate of infection has now increased to more than 1,200 cases per day.
After the Omicron surge, Dunn County was reporting 18 cases per week, but the number of cases has now increased to 77 per week, according to information posted online by the Dunn County Health Department the first week of May.
Various news outlets also are now reporting there is a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus circulating.
Test to Treat
Another reporter asked about the Test to Treat option.
Test to Treat is limited to pharmacies with clinics on site. There are 16 such locations in Wisconsin, mostly at Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy locations, Dr. Meiman said.
Being vaccinated is still the most effect way to prevent severe illness, he said.
Those who are not vaccinated and those who have comprised or suppressed immune systems are the most vulnerable to severe disease, Dr. Meiman said.
The antiviral drugs will help provide more protection against severe illness, he said.
