Manitoba getting 1,100 doses of newly approved COVID-19 antiviral treatment
Manitoba will be getting 1,100 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 antiviral treatment called Paxlovid.
A tweet from the Manitoba Government account on Monday said this is an initial allotment and more doses have been requested.
On Monday, Health Canada announced the approval of the drug, which is the first COVID-19 therapy that can be taken at home.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser of Health Canada, said the treatment consists of two drugs that are taken together twice per day, for five days. It is only for use after the diagnosis of COVID-19 and must be given within five days of the start of symptoms.
She added the studies submitted by Pfizer for Health Canada to review showed an effectiveness at preventing severe outcomes like hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 by close to 90 per cent when taken within three days of symptoms showing up. The effectiveness is reduced slightly when taken five days after symptom onset to 85 per cent.
“I’ve never really liked the term game changer, but this is a really important tool that I think will provide some relief to hospitals,” said Dr. Philippe Lagacé-Wiens, a medical microbiologist at St. Boniface Hospital. “But there are a lot of warnings and caveats that come with that.”
Lagacé-Wiens said because initial supply is so limited, the impact won’t be huge on hospitals. He said it is also not a replacement for vaccination. He said the province needs to get to the point where the drug is widely available and easy to access through community pharmacies.
“At that point, for the high-risk people, it probably will make a major difference," he said. "But until we get to a really good supply chain and a testing system that works, we’re not going to see a huge difference. But it’s still really good news if you think about it.”
Lagacé-Wiens also said that because a confirmed positive test is needed to get Paxlovid, testing may need to be prioritized for people at higher risk of hospitalization and death since getting the drug early is so important.
“So this is really a great tool, but it has to be applied to the community setting in mild to moderate COVID-19 to reduce hospitalizations,” he said. “We really need to have excellent access to testing to be able to identify those people who are going to benefit from it, the ones with those risk factors we have been hearing over and over again in the pandemic because those are the ones who will benefit the most.”
Lagacé-Wiens said these populations may include people over 60, those with diabetes or lung disease or who are overweight. He also said this treatment is not approved for everyone, as children and pregnant women are not eligible. Paxlovid also has many medications that it interacts with, like birth control to antidepressants and more.
There is no word on when the first shipment of Paxlovid will arrive in Manitoba or how it will be distributed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.