COVID-19 treatments

NeighborHealth has oral antiviral treatments available, and we can refer you to local infusion centers for intravenous antiviral. Oral antiviral treatments can be taken at home, while the intravenous (IV) antiviral medication is given at Boston Medical Center (BMC) or a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) infusion site.

You can get an oral antiviral or intravenous antiviral treatment for COVID-19 if you are at increased risk for severe disease, test positive for COVID-19, and have any symptoms even as mild as runny nose or cough. The sooner you start the treatment, the better.

You are at risk for severe disease if you:

• Are 55 years old or older
• Are immunocompromised
• Have certain conditions, including cardiovascular disease, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, or neurodevelopmental disorders
• Have a BMI over 25
• Are a current or former smoker
• Have a substance misuse disorder
• Have had a stroke
• If you do little or no physical activity

Talk to your doctor to learn more and find out if you can get treatment.

These medications are new to treat COVID-19, but they are not new for treating viruses. They have been proven effective to help prevent any mild COVID-19 symptoms (like shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, fever, muscle aches, etc.) that are also seen in other viral infections. And, they’ve been tested specifically in people with COVID-19 and have been shown to work and be safe.

No. The sooner you start treatment, the more effective these medications are, and your chances of avoiding serious illness from COVID-19 are much better. Oral antivirals are most effective when started between one to five days after your first symptoms. Intravenous antivirals are most effective when started between one to seven days after your first symptoms.

In addition, every case of COVID-19 is different, and you can become very sick very quickly. If that happens, you might not be able to get any of these treatments.

Many people only have mild COVID-19 symptoms. But, if we offer this treatment to you, it is because you’re at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. If you get severe COVID-19, you could get very sick, be hospitalized, and have a higher risk of dying from COVID-19.

Yes, the antivirals paxlovid, molnupiravir and remdesivir are effective against the Omicron variant.

Yes! Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself against getting COVID-19, even if you have had COVID-19 before.