Pharmacists in Saskatchewan can now prescribe paxlovid to COVID-19-postive individuals, the province announced Thursday.
A list of the 170 participating pharmacies is available on the government’s website.
Select physicians and nurse practitioners will also have prescribing authority of the medication.
Paxlovid is only recommended for people over 18 with the following conditions:
- Test positive (PCR or rapid test) with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms;
- Do not have any medical conditions that would make treatment inappropriate;
- Are not taking any medications that may cause potential drug interactions; and
- Are immunocompromised, regardless of vaccination status;
- 70 years and older with designated risk factors, regardless of vaccination status or
- Meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a medical condition that puts you at high risk and are not fully vaccinated; or
- Are 55 to 69 years old and not fully vaccinated.
Paxlovid treatment starts within five days of symptom onset and is not used to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The government added that treatments for COVID-19 does “not offer equal protection to vaccination.”
The province also reported 465 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the week of May 8 to 14.
The Omicron BA.2 sublineage accounted for 70.9 per cent of variants of concern reported last week.
There were 22 newly-reported COVID-19 deaths last week.
On May 18 there were 270 patients in hospital with COVID-19, including 14 in adult ICU.
Of the 270 patients, 164 had an incidental infection.
As of May 14, 81 per cent of the population aged 5 and older have completed a series of COVID-19 vaccination.
Of the population 18 and older, 52.3 per cent have gotten at least one booster dose.