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NC receiving too few doses of COVID 'cure,' local doctor says

There's a coronavirus treatment pill that could reduce hospitalizations by 90%, local doctors say, but some people are refusing the pill.
Posted 2022-02-04T23:44:14+00:00 - Updated 2022-02-04T23:49:10+00:00
Local doctor says NC doesn't have enough pills that 'cure' COVID

There's a coronavirus treatment pill that could reduce the chance of a patient being hospitalized by 90%, local doctors say, but the state is not receiving enough doses.

David Wohl, an infectious disease expert with UNC Health, deemed Paxlvoid "a cure for COVID-19," and is hoping that the federal government will allocate more Paxlvoid doses to North Carolina soon.

Which treatment is superior?

Paxlovid and the monoclonal antibody infusion Sotrovimab have about the same effectiveness at reducing hospitalization, Wohl said.

"I would really prefer people use the oral therapy Paxlovid," he said. "Way down at the bottom is Molnupiravir. That’s there for the right person but it’s not the top shelf. Top shelf is Paxlovid.”

While the pills reduce hospitalization, Wohl said they do not prove to reduce COVID-19 symptoms or get people back to work and other daily activities faster.

The pills are not recommended for everyone, experts say. They are primarily for people who are at high-risk of COVID-19.

“This is not for the healthy college student who gets the sniffles and gets tested and has COVID-19," Wohl said. “We should be giving this to the cancer chemotherapy patient, the person with diabetes who is overweight or obese.”

The pills work best when taken within five days from when the patient's symptoms start.

NC hospitals are not being sent enough Paxlovid

UNC Health, Duke Health and WakeMed hospitals all report they are using less of the Molnupiravir because it is not as effective, yet the state Department of Health and Human Services is receiving many more doses of Molnupiravir than Paxlovid.

For the second week of January, North Carolina only received around 2,500 courses of Paxlovid compared to more than 10,000 doses of Molnupiravir.

  • WakeMed receives around 40 to 60 courses of Paxlovid every two weeks.
  • UNC Health receives about 100 courses of Paxlovid a week.
  • Duke Health has been granted 260 courses of Paxlovid since NC DHHS started distributing the drug from the federal government the first week of January.

Across the state, there are more than 4,000 people in hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19. North Carolina hospitalizations reached a record high last Wednesday at 5,206.

Pfizer is scaling up the production of Paxlovid. NPR obtained a copy of Pfizer's contract with the federal government, which shows that most of the 20 million courses ordered will be delivered in the spring and summer.

But Wohl said that's not soon enough.

"What we really need is it right now," he said.

Oral COVID-19 treatment is distributed by the federal government every two weeks, according to state health officials.

Patients are refusing the superior treatment

Wohl said he believes that people perceive a moncolonial antibody infusion of Sotrovimab is more potent than a pill — even though it's not. Paxlovid and Sotrovimab have about the same effectiveness at reducing hospitalization, he said.

“People are being offered this. You are explaining to them that this is 90% effective at reducing hospitalization," Wohl said. "You can take it at home. You don’t need to come to the hospital, and they are still saying, 'I’ll come in for the infusion.'”

Where to find COVID-19 treatment

On the state Department of Health and Human Services' website, there is a list of all providers offering monoclonal antibody treatments -- either by infusion or pill.

The treatment is offered at hospitals, urgent cares, primary care providers and local pharmacies.

There are 21 locations in Raleigh offering the treatment, according to NCDHHS' website. Ten of those locations offer Paxlovid.

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