LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County this week launched the “test to treat” COVID-19 program announced by President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address, which offers anti-COVID pills for free to newly infected people who get tested, or show their test results, at select pharmacies with on-site clinics.
In L.A. County, 20 CVS health clinics are participating in the program. Plans are underway to expand the program to other pharmacies and clinical sites.
The antiviral pills offered in the “test to treat” program are Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer, and molnupiravir, made by Merck & Co., which treat mild to moderate COVID-19. The drugs must be given within a certain number of days after symptoms begin, or from the day of a positive coronavirus test, and they work best if given early, said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. The drugs require a prescription.
