Paxlovid will be now offered at certain mobile COVID testing units in New York City
NEW YORK - New York City is rolling out what it calls the first mobile COVID "Test to Treat" program.
Starting Thursday, some mobile testing units will have a clinician on board.
If a person's COVID test comes back positive, the clinician will determine eligibility for the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. If eligible, the clinician will either give the medication immediately or write a prescription to be filled at a partnering pharmacy within minutes.
FIND TESTING SITES: Click here for New York City's testing site locator, including mobile sites and at-home appointments
Mayor Eric Adams says the mobile units promote equity in access to the free treatment.
"When you are mobile, you can pinpoint the areas that need the support immediately, and we can get to this unit out to those areas," he said.
The program will expand to 30 trucks and have the capacity to perform 6,000 tests and dispense 600 treatments a day.