In a May 26 update, the White House announced that it has added 300 more locations as part of its Test-to-Treat initiative for COVID-19 in just the last month, bringing the total number of locations to 2,500. These locations, found at community health centers and pharmacies, allow people all over the US to be assessed by qualified health care professionals who can then easily and quickly prescribe oral antiviral treatments, such as Paxlovid, for the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Biden administration said the initiative appears to be paying off since it was announced on March 8 as, in the seven weeks prior to May 26, the number of prescriptions filled for COVID-19 antivirals had risen from 27,000 to 182,000 by the week beginning May 16. They added that the Test-to-Treat initiative, along with other COVID-19 efforts such as vaccines and boosters have resulted in a 90 percent drop in COVID-19 deaths since President Biden took office.
Other highlights relating to the Test-to-Treat initiative from the May 26 announcement included:
- The launch of the first federally-supported Test-to-Treat site in Rhode Island
- Sending key clinical staff to support state-run Test-to-Treat sites in Minnesota
- Adding more federally-supported Test-to-Treat locations over the next few weeks, including sites in Illinois and New York, as well as boosting access to oral antivirals at existing sites in other regions