Woman in P.E.I. couldn’t access Paxlovid, despite highest drug uptake in Canada

Karen Rice seems to have fallen by way of the cracks. After testing constructive for COVID-19 in July of 2022, she acquired a name three days later from the Chief Public Well being Workplace saying she was eligible for the antiviral Paxlovid.

However Rice instructed them she didn’t have a household physician or every other major care. The official stated they might look into it and name Rice again.

They by no means did.

“I didn’t hear something from anyone after that,” Rice stated in an Oct. 28 SaltWire interview. “It felt such as you have been by yourself.”

Issues acquired tough — unhealthy sufficient that Rice nearly went to the emergency room on Saturday after being identified on a Thursday. The burning sensation in her lungs was the worst of it, she stated.

“(I had) the cough, complications, aches, pains. However it was the burning that took some time to eliminate. It simply felt like your lungs have been on hearth — while you moved round or something, even going to get a glass of water or no matter, simply shifting.”

Unequal distribution

Regardless of her bother, Rice is aware of individuals who did entry Paxlovid. Seeing their success with the drug has been an added frustration, figuring out how sick she acquired with out obvious want, she stated.

“Folks I do know that had gotten the drug from their household doctor, their signs began to go straight away, inside the subsequent morning. So that you can must undergo by way of that — that’s exhausting, simply because they don’t have a household physician or anyplace to go.”

It appeared unfair, she stated. Much more irritating, after two years of Islanders working exhausting to maintain one another secure, the sudden lifting of public well being measures within the spring has led to extra unfold of the virus, she stated.

“As quickly as all of the restrictions have been lifted, it was a free-for-all.”

“Folks I do know that had gotten the drug from their household doctor, their signs began to go straight away, inside the subsequent morning. So that you can must undergo by way of that — that’s exhausting, simply because they don’t have a household physician or anyplace to go.”

– Karen Rice

COVID-19 infections first rose into the lots of with the Omicron wave in early 2022 and have stayed at numbers within the lots of every week ever since. All of P.E.I.’s COVID-19 deaths have additionally are available in 2022. 

Regardless of this, the province has lifted nearly all COVID measures and plans to take away isolation necessities this month, Chief Well being Officer Heath Morrison instructed CBC P.E.I. on Nov. 4.

Well being sources

Cheryl Banks, director of COVID operations for Well being P.E.I., acknowledged there have been circumstances like Rice, the place a affected person will get misplaced within the system, and isn’t recovered in any respect or inside the 5 day prescribing window for Paxlovid.

“I received’t be naive to assume that that hasn’t occurred. … There’s been some instances the place we’ve had some spikes that our referrals simply type of outweighed our sources.”

When somebody eligible for Paxlovid checks constructive for COVID-19, they’re inspired to get the antiviral from their household physician, nurse practitioner or specialist. This takes strain off the opposite methodology of prescription, the place the newly identified individual is triaged by way of the Well being P.E.I. system and finally prescribed the drug, Banks stated.

And not using a household physician, Rice was speculated to get a name again from this second route, Banks stated.

“The most effective factor, when you’re not listening to from somebody, is to name again to 811. You’re identify’s on the listing, however simply to type of get that re-referral and simply to remind people that, ‘My signs began on today.’”

Large uptake

Regardless of Rice’s points, Banks stated, Well being P.E.I.’s statistics present large uptake of Paxlovid within the province — by far the best in Canada.

P.E.I. has obtained a complete of seven,379 doses — with one dose being a five-day course of two medication — and had prescribed 5,875 of them as of Nov. 3, Banks stated.

Numbers from March present P.E.I. had prescribed 2,240 doses per 100,000 folks, whereas the nationwide common was solely 163 per 100,000. The second most prescriptions got here in Yukon, with 465 doses per 100,000, a Nov. 3 e mail from Well being P.E.I. stated. 

In a current SaltWire interview, Morrison attributed a few of P.E.I.’s excessive COVID-19 case numbers to the province’s excessive charge of testing, compared with the remainder of Canada.

Banks agreed the excessive Paxlovid uptake is available in half from excessive testing, however gave credit score most of all to robust campaigning to tell the general public in regards to the drug, together with consistently working so as to add eligible prescribers.

Well being P.E.I.’s Nov. 3 e mail notes the coverage behind this: “(Our) technique in opposition to COVID-19 has been to concentrate on outpatient/ambulatory remedies and helps to lower severity of sickness, cut back hospitalization charges and thereby have a constructive impression on total morbidity and mortality charges.”

Increasing entry

Whereas early prescriptions required an “official” check from a Well being P.E.I. testing web site, the province dropped that requirement in late September. A take-home speedy check is now acceptable, Banks stated.

When requested in regards to the five-day window for sufferers to entry Paxlovid, Banks stated this wasn’t a coverage determination, however what the drug is indicated for on the monograph.

Regardless of expectations there wouldn’t be sufficient Paxlovid to serve all eligible sufferers in Canada, P.E.I. utilized for and obtained additional doses of Paxlovid a number of instances, Banks stated.

Banks additionally talked about one thing Rice had spoken about eager to see: an expanded scope of apply for pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid.

This will likely be coming to shops like Murphy’s, Lawtons and Consumers, Banks stated, noting two pharmacists are already working with Well being P.E.I. to prescribe Paxlovid nearly for folks newly identified with COVID-19, Banks stated.

“Quickly, hopefully, they’ll be capable to name their group pharmacy, and so they’ll do an evaluation on-line and decide whether or not or not they’re eligible for Paxlovid as effectively.”

Logan MacLean is a reporter with SaltWire Community 

[email protected]

@loganmaclean94