More than 80% in NC qualify for COVID treatment, yet doctors are slow to prescribe it

State public health officials are encouraging North Carolinians to seek treatment for COVID-19 if they are diagnosed.

David Wohl, infectious disease expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that there are plenty of pills -- Paxlovid and molnupiravir are approved for emergency use authorization – that can ease symptoms if started quickly, but doctors aren't prescribing it as much as they should.

The Food and Drug Administration has also approved monoclonal antibody treatments for emergency use authorization. Antiviral drug Remdesivir is the only drug that is fully approved by the FDA for COVID treatment.

More than 80% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 could be helped by the pills, but doctors are hesitant to prescribe them, Wohl said. People considered "high risk" for coronavirus — which is around two thirds of all North Carolinians — are encouraged to receive treatment, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

That includes people who have medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, asthma or depression.

North Carolina has used only 28% of the Paxlovid it has received from the federal government since late last year — and just 15% of the less-effective Molnupiravir.

Both antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies must be prescribed quickly, DHHS officials said in a statement.

DHHS sent a letter out to all North Carolina clinicians last week encouraging them to prescribe COVID treatment.

Wohl encouraged patients to advocate for themselves and ask for treatment, even if their doctor does not prescribe it.