Be Ready for a Holiday Surge: Keep Yourself Informed About COVID-19 Treatments
Increased use of COVID-19 therapeutics will be essential to preventing excess hospitalizations and deaths this winter. Stay in the loop with weekly updates from CDPH in two formats:
- Provider Webinars every Friday from 9:00AM - 10:30AM (covers COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and sometimes MPX as well)
- Weekly email updates with helpful tips, clinical guidance, and treatment-related news
Register and/or subscribe now!
Utilizing COVID-19 Therapeutics Now to Save Lives During the Winter Surge
As California faces rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to multiple respiratory viruses, the state's top public health doctor reminds providers and patients that seeking and receiving COVID-19 treatment should be the new normal for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19.
"Many of our hospitals across the state are reaching capacity and one of the ways we can reduce admissions is by treating individuals who have COVID-19," said State Public Health Officer and CDPH Director Dr. Tomás J. Aragón. "Unlike previous years, people now have safe and effective treatment options that can prevent serious disease, reduce hospitalization, and may also lower the risk of long COVID-19 symptoms. Treatments provide the biggest benefits to people who are unvaccinated, but also provide benefits to people who are vaccinated or who recovered from a prior COVID-19 infection. However, COVID-19 treatments are underutilized, particularly among communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19. As soon as someone has new symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat or fever, they should immediately test for COVID-19 and seek treatment if they are positive."
HEALTH ADVISORY: Reminder to Lower Barriers to Prescribing COVID-19 Therapeutics to Mitigate Impact of COVID-19
On December 2nd, CDPH issued a health alert through the CA Health Alert Network (CAHAN) to remind providers that:
- any patient with suspected COVID-19 should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection and
- all symptomatic patients with a positive COVID-19 test of any type should be evaluated for treatment with one of the NIH recommended treatment options. Currently, the primary outpatient treatment options are nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) and remdesivir.
Link to the the full CAHAN is here.
