The Alberta government has redoubled its efforts to outsource COVID-19 Paxlovid treatment to eligible Alberts by loosening its testing criteria and expanding the number of health professionals who can prescribe it.
The requirement for eligible Alberts to pass a PCR test to obtain a prescription for Paxlovid has changed. Now, in some circumstances, a positive result from a quick test will be acceptable, Health Minister Jason Kopping told a news conference on Wednesday.
Also, treatment can now be prescribed by doctors, nurses and some pharmacists.
“This change will make access to the drug faster and easier and start treatment,” Koping said.
Paxlovid is a treatment used in adults with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19, but who are at higher risk of hospitalization or death.
Prompt access to the drug is vital, because to be effective, it must be taken within five days after the onset of symptoms.
Although the PCR test is still preferred, people can access treatment with a positive result from a rapid test that has been administered by the prescribing physician. They can also do a quick test at home, after which the result will be confirmed by the prescriber, Koping said.
The change will be gradual to ensure that people prescribing the drug feel comfortable doing so, the government said in a statement.
Albertans who do not have a family doctor or whose health care provider is not eligible to prescribe Paxlovid can access it through Alberta’s health services, the statement said.
Another 69 deaths from COVID-19
Another 69 deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Alberta from April 26 to May 2, Dr. Dinah Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer, told a news conference Wednesday.
The dead ranged in age from 28 to 102, Hinshaw said.
There have been 4,321 deaths in Alberta since the start of the pandemic, according to provincial figures.
Meanwhile, the number of Alberts in hospital with COVID-19 has continued to rise.
Data show that 1,267 people are in hospital, including 46 patients admitted to the intensive care unit.
There were 1,220 in hospital last week, including 47 in the intensive care unit.
The pass rate of the seven-day PCR test was 22.98%, down 25.75% a week ago.
Last week, 5,754 new cases of COVID-19 were registered. However, this number represents only positive PCR test results, which are not available to most Alberts.
The flu is on the rise: Hinshaw
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is compounded by an increase in influenza cases in Alberta and across Canada, Hinshaw said.
More than 700 Alberts have been diagnosed with the flu this season, most of which have been reported in the past two months, Hinshaw said.
Of those, 68 went to hospital, including three who were admitted to intensive care, she said.
“We are experiencing an increase in seasonal flu with levels higher than at any time in the last two years,” she said.
The measures people can take to prevent the spread of the flu are similar to those that prevent the transmission of COVID-19, she said, including proper hand washing, staying home when sick and wearing masks in public.
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