The County of San Diego has confirmed that newly approved oral treatments for COVID-19 will be available for medical providers to begin administering within days.
According the County's official statement, the supply will initially be very limited, and residents are asked to continue masking up to prevent infection. The pills, which are administered over the course of several days, will be available to patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms who at risk of progressing to severe coronavirus disease, including hospitalization or death.
“The FDA’s emergency use authorization of these new oral antivirals comes at a critical point in the pandemic as we see an increase in cases and a rapid spread of the Omicron variant,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “However, news of the arrival of these drugs does not mean we can let our guard down. We need to continue to mask up, especially in crowded indoor spaces, and I urge anyone who has not gotten vaccinated, or is overdue for their booster shot, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”