TPCHD Program Connects High Risk COVID Patients With Treatment

TACOMA, WA — A new effort from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) hopes to get lifesaving treatment to the COVID-19 patients who need it most.

As part of TPCHD's new pilot program, high-risk patients are invited to visit the county's testing facility at 10417 Canyon Rd E in Puyallup. If they test positive for the coronavirus, health care providers with the Washington State Department of Health and Bird’s Eye Medical can help connect those patients to lifesaving treatment, including:

• Antiviral medications like Paxlovid and Molnupiravir.
• The Monoclonal antibodies Sotrovimab and Bebtelovimab.

Both treatments have been authorized by the FDA for emergency use in high-risk COVID patients, and can lower the chances of serious illness, hospitalizations and death, the health department said.

Organizers say they came up with the program after finding that many high-risk patients didn't know how to find help on their own.

"Oral antivirals and monoclonal antibodies have been available in Pierce County for months. But many people don’t know if they need those treatments, or they don’t have a primary healthcare provider to ask," writes TPCHD Nurse Jax Hermer. "We’re working to remove those barriers."

Under the program, any high risk patient is eligible for treatment as long as they:

• Are 12 years old or older.
• Weigh at least 88 pounds.
• Are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
  • High risk patients include those who are 65 years or older, are unvaccinated, have a compromised immune system or suffer chronic health issues.

"If you fall into one or more of these categories and have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19, get tested at our Canyon Road site," Hermer said. "If you test positive, we’ll make sure you have access to the treatment you need."

Though the program may prove lifesaving for those who need treatment the most, the hope is that not many people will need it, as the pandemic continues its downward spiral in Washington. Though the latest coronavirus variant, an omicron subvariant called BA.2, is gaining ground in the Evergreen State, overall case counts and hospitalizations remain on the decline.

>> Learn more about the pilot program from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.