Free COVID-19 drugs available to treat estimated one million eligible New Zealanders

‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala faka-Tonga

Free COVID-19 antiviral medicines are available to treat eligible people with COVID-19.

The drugs are meant to be taken within five days of symptoms starting. It is estimated that up to one million people may be eligible for treatment.

Research by the Public Health Agency, found Pasifika and Māori, those with underlying health conditions and older Kiwis were among those who have a much higher risk of dying from the virus.

The Ministry of Health said that if taken early in COVID-19 illness, the drugs had proven to reduce hospitalisation and death.

People with a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 may be eligible for treatment with COVID-19 antiviral medicines.

Eligible people must start taking COVID-19 medicines within the first five days of getting COVID-19 symptoms.

The three anti-virals available are Nirmatrelvir with ritonavir (branded as Paxlovid), Molnupiravir (branded as Lagevrio) and Rremdesivir, an infusion treatment (branded as Veklury).

Paxlovid is produced by Pfizer. A report in the New Zealand Herald claimed it had been found to reduce the risk of hospital admission or dying from the virus by up to 86 per cent.

Side effects included an impaired sense of taste, diarrhoea, increased blood pressure and muscle aches. These effects were said to be mild.

“While vaccination remains the most effective way to help prevent Covid-19, antiviral treatments provide a strong second line of defence for those most at risk,” Pfizer’s New Zealand medical director, Krishan Thiru said.

To be eligible for COVID-19 antiviral medicines, people must  have symptoms and have tested positive for COVID-19 or  have symptoms and be a household contact of a person with COVID-19

To be eligible, people must also be aged over 65 years, be over 50 years old if they are of Pacific or Maori descent, be over 50 and not have completed a primary course of COVID-19 vaccinations, have a severely weakened immune system, have Downs syndrome or have sickle cell disease.

People may also be eligible if they have any combination of three high risk medical conditions. These include cancer, chronic lung or airways disease,  serious heart conditions such as congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, or if they have previously been admitted to critical care or high dependency care as a result of COVID-19 and have tested positive again.

If eligible, people may be able to get a prescription from their usual healthcare provider, or the medicine may be supplied without a prescription from some pharmacies.

If people are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, they may be able to get a prescription for an antiviral medicine from their usual general practice before they get sick. This means the pharmacy will have the prescription ready to use if they become unwell. If people test positive and develop symptoms, they can then arrange to have the medicine delivered by friends or family. Some pharmacies will deliver.

The Ministry of Health has warned that the medicines may not be suitable for everyone, even if they met eligibility criteria.

New cases

Last week the Ministry of Health announced 11,205 new community cases of Covid-19 in the country in the past week, up from under 10,000 new cases the prior weeks.

New Zealand has also recorded its first case of the new Omicron subvariant BQ.1.1

The BQ.1.1 variant is already causing cases to surge in Europe.

You can find more detailed information here about the anti-viral treatment on the Ministry of Health website

FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA

‘Oku lava ke ma’u ‘a e fo’i’akau ‘enitivailolo ki he Koviti ki he kakai ‘oku nau puke he vailasi.

Ko e fo’i’akau ko eni ke folo ia ‘i loto ‘i he ‘aho nima ‘o ‘ene kamata ‘asi’. ‘Oku fakafuofua ‘e a’u ki he taha miliona e kakai ‘e lava ken au faito’o heni’.

Mei lahi foki e kakai Pasifiki mo Mauli ‘oku ‘i ai honau ngaahi mahaki tauhi kau ki heni mo e kau Kiwi matu’otu’a ange’ pea ‘e lava ke lahi ange faingamalie ken au mate mei he Koviti’.

Fakatatau ki he Potungaue Mo’ui kuo ‘osi fakamo’oni’i ‘a e tokoni ‘a e faito’o kona fakangofua (drugs) ke ne fakasi’isi’i ‘a e tokoto fale mahaki mo e mate’.

The three anti-virals available are Nirmatrelvir with ritonavir (branded as Paxlovid), Molnupiravir (branded as Lagevrio) and Rremdesivir, an infusion treatment (branded as Veklury).

Ko e Paxlovid ‘oku fa’u ia ‘e he Faisa. Na’e pehe ‘e ha lipooti ‘a e New Zealand Herald na’e fa’u ‘eni ke ne fakasi’isi’i ‘a e fakatu’utāmaki ‘e ala fakatokoto ai ‘i fale mahaki pe mate ‘i he vailasi ‘e ala a’u ki he pēseti ‘e 86.

Ko e tafa’aki kovi ‘o e faito’o’ ni ‘e kau ai ‘a e ongo’i mamatea, fakalele, lahi ange ‘a e toto mā’olunga mo e langa ‘a e uoua’. Ko e ngaahi ola ‘eni kuo taku ‘o pehē ‘oku tō lotoloto pe.

Lolotonga ‘a e hoko ‘a e huhu malu’i ko e to’omotafi taha ia ke ne malu’i ‘a e Koviti 19, ‘oku fakaai ‘e he antivirual ha ngaahi faito’o malu’i hono ua kia kinautolu ‘oku tu’u he tu’unga fakatu’utanaki.

Kuopau ke ma’u ‘e he kakai ‘a e faka’ilonga ‘o e Koviti pe tesi positive he Koviti pe ‘i ai ha taha honau fale’ ne ma’u ‘e he Koviti’ kae lava ke toki ma’u ha’ane fo’i’akau ‘enitivailolo.

‘E lava ke ma’u foki ‘e he kakai ‘a e ‘enitīvailolo ko ‘eni’ kapau kuo ma’u ‘a e mahaki tauhi hangē ko e kanisā, mahaki’ia ‘a e ma’ama’a pe halanga mānava’, mafu hangē ko e mahaki ki he halanga toto mo e lumetiki, konisenitolo, suka pe mahaki’ia ‘a e kofuua’, ne ‘osi ‘ave kinautolu ki ha tokangaeikina’anga mahaki tuunga ‘i hano tesi positive kinautolu ‘i he Koviti’.

‘E lava ke ma’u ‘a e pelesikulipisini ko ‘eni mei he toketā fakafamili’ pe ‘e lava pe ma’u ‘ikai ha pelesikulipisini.