3 ways to get COVID pills, if you've just tested positive

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/05/11/ [login to see] /3-ways-to-get-covid-pills-if-youve-just-tested-positive
If you've just tested positive for COVID-19, and you have common risk factors for serious illness, there are now ample treatments available – generally at little or no cost – that could help you avoid the worst and recover more quickly from a mild or moderate case of COVID.

Paxlovid, a five-day course of pills from Pfizer, is at the top of the list of recommended treatments. Studies from the drugmaker showed that – in unvaccinated people at risk of serious COVID medical risk factors – Paxlovid was nearly 90% effective at cutting the risks of getting hospitalized or dying because of COVID.

People who are vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID could still benefit from the drug, says Dr. Priya Nori, an infectious disease physician at Montefiore Health System in Bronx, New York, and a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Taking Paxlovid could "help you get back on your feet faster, feel better faster, and be potentially less infectious faster," Nori says.

The Biden administration has been talking up the treatment. "We want all individuals to know about this effective medication, and to have a conversation with their health care provider about if they are eligible, and whether they should be making a plan" for accessing the drug if they do test positive, says Dr. Meg Sullivan, chief medical officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the Department of Health and Human Services.