In December 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that oral antiviral medicines for COVID-19 treatments had been approved for widespread use. Specifically, it issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Paxlovid, Pfizer’s brand of nirmatrelvir tablets. The Paxlovid tablets are to be taken as soon as possible by a patient after receiving a coronavirus diagnosis and no later than five days after COVID symptoms begin. In doing so, the patient can have reduced chances of hospitalization, severe illness, and death.
While the Paxlovid tablets and other oral antiviral medicines have been helpful, they are not necessarily the best option anymore. Many medical practitioners and physicians are now opting to prescribe an antiviral infusion or IV treatment when available. Although official data is still being compiled, an IV treatment appears to be much more effective at preventing severe symptoms and stopping virus rebounds or the returning of symptoms days or weeks later.
At Advance ER, one of the leading emergency room clinics serving Dallas, Texas, an ER doctor had a firsthand experience of the benefits of antiviral infusions. After contracting COVID-19, the doctor took Paxlovid oral tablets as soon as possible. However, not long after the effects of the tablets started to wear off, the virus rebounded, and the doctor felt much worse the second time. If anything, the tablets might have only delayed the symptoms, not stopped them, which is an experience similar to what many patients report.
Rather than taking a tablet and sitting at home while hoping that it works, the better choice might be to get an infusion at a medical clinic instead. With monoclonal antibodies supplied through an IV, the medicine will take a stronger effect and much sooner than if it had been absorbed orally. You will also enjoy the direct attention and care from a medical professional during the treatment, rather than being handed a tablet and sent home to fend for yourself. Everything considered, choose an IV treatment for early COVID-19 symptom intervention over an oral tablet if it is available.
Have you recently tested positive for COVID-19? If you live in the greater Dallas metropolitan area, you should call (214) 494-8222 immediately to speak with a member of Advance ER. We can help you decide the best course of treatment, which could include an antiviral infusion for maximum effectiveness. You do not need a doctor’s referral to come to Advance ER for treatments.
