Dept of Health - Carroll County Health Department

Treatments for COVID-19

New treatments for COVID-19 are available in Maryland, but supplies are very limited.

Per the CDC, based on the changed genetic make-up of the Omicron variant virus, some treatments are likely to remain effective while others may be less effective.

If you get COVID-19, there are some treatments that may help prevent you from getting sicker. Treatments used for COVID-19 should be prescribed by your healthcare provider. People have been seriously harmed and even died after taking products not approved for COVID-19, even products approved or prescribed for other uses.

Drugs Approved or Authorized for Use

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved remdesivir (Veklury) to treat COVID-19.
On December 22, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid. Supplies of this new drug will be very limited.
On December 23rd, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for another oral antiviral treatment, molnupiravir.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has more information on COVID-19 treatments being studied.

Home treatment for COVID-19 Symptoms

Your healthcare provider might recommend the following to relieve symptoms and support your body’s natural defenses:

Taking medications, like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to reduce fever
Drinking water or receiving intravenous fluids to stay hydrated
Getting plenty of rest to help the body fight the virus

If you are sick, take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19

New COVID-19 treatments may lessen the severity of symptoms and help keep high-risk patients out of the hospital. Treatment is available only by referral or prescription. Talk to your health care provider as soon as you test positive for COVID-19 so they can determine the best treatment for you. The supply of these treatments is currently very limited.

There are several important differences between treatment options:

Frequently Asked Questions	Monoclonal Antibody Treatment (mAb)	Paxlovid (Pfizer)And Molnupiravir (MERCK)	Evusheld (AstraZeneca)
What kind of treatment is it?	Injection under the skin (subcutaneous) or intravenous infusion	Oral antiviral (pill)	Intramuscular injection
Who is eligible to receive it?	Adults and adolescents at risk (12 and older) at risk of severe COVID-19	Adults and adolescents (12 and older) at risk of severe COVID-19 (18+ for molnupiravir)	High risk individuals who do not have COVID-19
When do you receive the treatment?	Must receive within 10 days of symptom onset, the sooner the better	For best results treatment should begin within 5 days of symptom onset	Would receive as a preventive measure for those at high risk of serious illness or death
How long is the treatment?	One single IV infusion (approximately one hour) or subcutaneous injection followed by a one-hour observation	5-day treatment regimen	Two IM injections given at the same time; benefits last 6 months
How do you get this treatment?	Talk to a healthcare provider right away if you test positive for COVID or have been exposed	Talk to a healthcare provider right away if you test positive for COVID	Providers with eligible, high risk patients will prescribe if appropriate

This information is taken from:

Maryland Department of Health’s COVID Link treatment options page

Maryland Department of Health’s COVID Link Monoclonal Antibody page

Monoclonal antibody treatment is now available in Carroll County:

Starting the week of January 24th, the State of Maryland will begin administering monoclonal antibody treatments on the Carroll Hospital campus. Visit https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/testing/monoclonal-antibody-treatment/ to learn more and see who qualifies for the treatments. A physician order is required.