Ontario pharmacists get greenlight to prescribe COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid – CBC

Change intended to keep COVID-19 patients out of hospital, health minister says

Dec 08, 2022

Starting next week pharmacists in Ontario will be able to prescribe the anti-viral drug Paxlovid as a treatment for COVID-19, the health minister said Thursday.

Sylvia Jones made the announcement at a morning news conference in Toronto, where she said the prescriptions will come at no cost to patients.

It comes as hospitals in the province continue to strain under pressure from multiple respiratory illnesses.

Across all ages, the number of Ontarians going to emergency departments with respiratory complaints remains well above pre-pandemic seasonal averages, according to Ontario’s Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES) database.

Some pediatric hospitals have stopped surgeries and other procedures to maintain capacity for patients seeking care for respiratory symptoms.

Meanwhile, Ottawa’s children’s hospital has accepted staffing help from the Canadian Red Cross and opened a second pediatric intensive care unit, though others had not sought extra support as of this week.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sylvia-jones-health-announcement-1.6678448