Rockford's Crusader Community Health has supply of hard-to-get COVID antiviral drug
ROCKFORD — Crusader Community Health is rolling out a new treatment for people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the health system announced Friday.
It’s an oral antiviral treatment called Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer.
“It basically works to stop the replication of the virus in your body,” said Dr. Laura Dee, Crusader Community Health director of pharmacy services. “So, it’s supposed to help decrease the severity of symptoms to prevent hospitalization in high risk individuals.”
The antiviral pills represent an advance over current antiviral therapy because they are cheaper, more convenient and less invasive than intravenous (IV) therapy with monoclonal antibodies, Dee said.
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The COVID-19 pills are in short supply. Eligible patients can receive the treatment free of charge during the public health emergency.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's Paxlovid tablets in December. The development is welcome news to U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, who toured Crusader Community Health’s West State Street clinic on Friday.
“This new treatment she is prescribing for the first time today can handle the omicron variant and that’s what’s different from what they were using before,” Bustos said. “The previous treatment didn’t work for this new variant.”
Crusader Community Health officials expect to receive a shipment of rapid home COVID-19 tests next week, according to Crusader President and CEO Sam Miller.
“We’re working on a distribution model on how to get them out to the community,” Miller said.
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As of Friday, 56 % of Winnebago County residents had been vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the Winnebago County Department of Public Health.
“Every county in the congressional district that I serve is below state and national (levels),” Bustos said. “The vast majority of people who are getting very sick now from COVID are the unvaccinated, and there’s really not a great explanation other than the narrative that’s been out there about vaccinations.”
Crusader Community Health's new West State Street clinic will observe its' first anniversary on Feb. 1. Crusader Community Health serves 58,000 patients a year at its five community sites and three school sites in Winnebago and Boone counties.
Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford's Crusader Clinic to roll out use of COVID pill Paxlovid
