Thread by @SafetyinNumbrz

A REAL at-home treatment for COVID that actually works - approved by Health Canada & on its way to a province near you. 🥳🧵

HealthCan approved Paxlovid today! THIS is why you avoid infection as long as possible - better options come along. #WorthTheWait
cbc.ca/news/politics/…

No more conspiracies about how Canada doesn't look for treatment options. There are 91 approved clinical trials in Canada for treatments (beyond vaccines). And more worldwide. This is just one of the better results.

canada.ca/en/health-cana…

This antiviral treatment is special because it comes in pill-form, taken for mild-moderate COVID symptoms at home. It reduces the likelihood of hospitalization by about 90%. Aside from the benefits to patients who have less severe disease, this can reduce hospital strain.

In addition to reducing strain on overtaxed healthcare systems, this allows mildly sick people to isolate at home. If these folks show their gratitude by isolating properly, there is less risk of passing it on to more healthcare workers, other patients, and the community.

In anticipation of approval, the fed govt pre-ordered the drug from Pfizer ahead of time. That is why there is already enough for 30K ppl en route around the country, with far more than that to arrive in Canada over time. The first doses are days away.

What's the catch? It is only good for cases confirmed in first 5 days, and very few people can even get a test to confirm their infection is COVID. It can also react badly with certain medications or medical conditions, so not all patients can take it.

And significantly, we have a very limited supply amid huge demand. So it will be prioritized for those at high-risk of severe outcomes. In AB, that includes older unvaccinated people - incl. ppl who chose not to vax, which may feel unfair to some. But this isn't about "fair".

It's about efficiency. We WANT the ppl most likely to end up in hospital to avoid it. Imagine 10 doses. Do you give it to the people who have a 50% chance of being in hospital, or the 5% chance? Give it to the ones at highest risk & you save 5 beds. Lowest risk, you save 0-1 bed.

This means that more beds are available for everything else, including those who cannot be vaxxed, and non-COVID issues like cancer and car accidents. (Or given the current strain, less "reduced standards of care" instead of open beds, meaning better outcomes for all.)

So does this mean you shouldn't get vaxxed, or Omicron is "mild" or you shouldn't avoid infection like ... the plague? Of course not! Vaccines prevent hospitalization better than these pills do, even if we assume zero protection from infection.

Just for anyone who missed it:

VACCINES STILL WORK BETTER THAN PAXLOVID.

All ages, vaccination reduced hospitalization more than 90%. Lots more. It's better to vaccinate if you can.

And N95/Airborne Precautions work even better still!

alberta.ca/stats/covid-19…

Call to Action:
Mask up with filtering, gap-free masks, avoid sharing air outside your household. Stay home when sick.

Insist on better testing and surveillance, but don't stockpile tests (nor sell them on the black market.) That makes the situation worse.

Clean the air.

And share the good news.

Ppl stop trying if they don't have hope for the future. We need to support our communities: care for each other, share verified, peer-reviewed data, counter misinformation &

do all we can to avoid transmission.

Good things come to those who wait. 🎂

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