Jacqui Kingsley is stuck at home isolating with COVID.
It is something she knew would inevitably happen, but it has been a stressful time.
Ms Kingsley lives with a number of autoimmune conditions, making her particularly vulnerable to the virus.
After registering for the Tasmanian government's COVID@Home program on Wednesday, it was a priority for her to make sure she could access antiviral drugs.
Currently, patients looking to get hold of antiviral medication need a doctor's appointment and a prescription.
Time is of the essence though, as it is important COVID patients in need of antivirals take them within three to five days from the onset of symptoms, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia says.
"I tried to contact my immunologist but it was bad timing — he's away," Ms Kingsley said.
So she went to her GP. She was not able to get an appointment, so she left a message with reception.
Ms Kingsley did not hear back for a while, so she called again. By this point, it was already Friday.
"I rang and the receptionist … said the GP's gone home and that she passed on a message: I can't get antivirals without a PCR, which I'd had," she said.
So she went to COVID@Home and asked to have a doctor contact her. The doctor told her she wasn't eligible for the medicine.
She believes that had her regular doctor — who is familiar with her medical history — seen her she should have been eligible for the antiviral drugs.
"I very much felt, despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to get antivirals, firstly with the doctor, and secondly with the COVID@Home doctor," Ms Kingsley said.
Proposal to allow easier access to antivirals
The GP requirement has been a roadblock for some Tasmanians, such as Ms Kingsley, made worse by a longstanding shortage of GPs in the state, especially in rural areas.
At a national cabinet meeting at the weekend, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff proposed a new distribution method, whereby GPs would help with automating pharmacy scripts for patients most likely to use them.
"This will enable those most vulnerable to COVID-19 to quickly access medical treatments and help ease the burden on our hospitals here in Tasmania," Mr Rockliff said.
"This innovative approach will now be progressed for further consideration."
The Tasmanian branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia said it welcomed any initiative that would allow greater accessibility to the drug.
"There have been issues getting contact or telehealth consultations … over the last few weeks. There has been a surge of illness across the network and also just an increase in winter infections that has meant there's been a demand that can't be fulfilled," branch president Helen O'Byrne said.
The guild wants pharmacies to be able to hand the drug to anyone over the age of 70 without a doctor's prescription, subject to certain conditions.
"So that means for example a person over 70, who doesn't need to have any other complicating conditions … could potentially be initiated in a pharmacy, as long as that person went through strict prescription protocols.
"That would involve assessing their other medications. One of the antivirals in particular has interactions with other medications."
She said as medication experts, pharmacists were in a good position to assess that.
"We think that it is an alternative for people to access antivirals in a timely manner.
"It's vital that people get these antivirals within three to five days of the onset of symptoms, and we know at the moment with the surge in cases and the lack of health workforce, that this isn't happening all the time."
Ms O'Byrne said it would still be sensible for those aged under 70, who are immunocompromised to see their GP for a script.
"It's a doctor's specialty to assess their other conditions," she said.
New eligibility rules
The federal government updated the eligibility criteria for COVID antiviral medication this month.
Senior Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who test positive for COVID-19 may be eligible for antiviral treatments if they are:
- Aged 70 years or older
- Aged 50 years or older and have two additional risk factors
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 30 years or older and have two additional risk factors
Risk factors include living in residential aged care, living with disability, living with neurological or chronic respiratory conditions, or living remotely with reduced access to higher level health care.
People aged 18 years and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and who test positive for COVID-19 may also be eligible for antiviral treatments.
