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New COVID-19 pill, Plaxovid will be available in Alberta as of January 31st

EDMONTON, AB – The first shipment of a pill form COVID-19 treatment has arrived in Alberta.

The drug, created by Pfizer, is the first oral, at-home prescription medication to be approved for use in Canada.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says Paxlovid will be on offer for anyone over the age of 18 to help treat mild or moderate cases of COVID-19 and are in a high-risk category.

“Paxlovid will also be a possible option for Albertans who are unvaccinated and over the age of 65,” says Hinshaw. “Or over the age of 18 or older with a pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, or congestive heart failure.”

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Hinshaw did stress on Tuesday however, that this pill treatment is not a substitute for COVID-19 vaccination. Paxlovid will be available to be prescribed as of Monday, January 31st.

Treatment with the medication must be started within five days of the onset of symptoms and as mentioned, is intended for use by individuals who have immunosuppressive conditions.

Patrick Siedlecki
Patrick Siedlecki
Pat has been a mainstay in the CJOC News department from the time the station launched in 2007. He's been in the position of News Director since then and has been anchoring daily news casts as well as reporting and working behind the scenes. Community is important to him and keeping CJOC listeners and readers informed about what's happening across southern Alberta and beyond. Pat has been in radio broadcasting for the past 24 years, starting in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1997 and then moving up island to Nanaimo for another few years before heading to Lethbridge in 2007. Pat grew up in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Foam Lake. After high school, he went to Western Academy Broadcasting College (WABC) in Saskatoon prior to moving to the island. Pat also spent several years broadcasting hockey in the BCHL as well as seven years as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL. Pat has been working at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge as a Certified Life Celebrant and Funeral Assistant since 2016. News and sports have always been Pat's passion from the time he was a teenager and he's always been grateful to have had the opportunity to make that part of what's been a fun and long radio career!
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