The nation’s response to the pandemic has taken on a new phase, as mask mandates and social distancing give way to home-based testing and outpatient treatments. That’s why it’s essential the Biden administration get its new “test-to-treat” program up to speed. With new infections rising in Florida and nationally, the program is vital for helping a fatigued nation manage this ongoing outbreak.
The program, announced in March, is meant to control COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by providing antiviral pills on the spot to people who test positive for the virus. It’s another step in the government’s evolution of making individuals more involved in the nation’s response. As a recent report by Kaiser Health News explains, Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s Lagevrio are both designed to be started within five days of symptoms appearing. Millions of chronically ill and older Americans are eligible, and more people may qualify soon, but many Americans don’t have access to the program. It’s ridiculous that cost and bureaucratic hurdles are still undermining this public health effort more than two years after COVID-19 exploded on the scene.
As envisioned, the program allows people with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested, be prescribed antiviral pills and fill the prescription in a single visit. The federal government and many state and local health departments direct residents to an online national map of test-to-treat sites. But as of two weeks ago, large swaths of the country had no test-to-treat pharmacies or health centers listed, according to a Kaiser survey. The program’s largest participant, CVS, had technical issues that made booking an appointment difficult. The roll out has exposed America’s fragmented public health system, where the federal, state and local governments all play a role. And it shows how high, upfront costs are barriers to keeping people healthy and hospitals operating as normal.
