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County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Communications & Public Affairs
313 N. Figueroa Street, Room 806
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 240-8144
Fax: (213) 481-1406
media@ph.lacounty.gov
As soon as you start to feel sick, take a COVID-19 test and act quickly to get free COVID treatment.
Community Care Facilities: If you have 3 or more patients with COVID symptoms and a positive test, click here to learn how to request our mobile therapeutics service
COVID-19 Treatments Are Not a Substitute for the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Vaccines are safe, effective, free, and widely available. They can protect you and others from getting sick with COVID-19.
People with symptoms of COVID-19 AND a positive test may qualify for treatment if they:
The list does not include all possible conditions or situations. For details of who is at higher risk of severe illness, visit the CDC webpage People with Certain Medical Conditions. If you have questions, contact your doctor.
For information about what to do if you have COVID-19, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidisolation. This includes telling your doctor, monitoring your symptoms, and knowing when you need emergency medical care.
If you need to leave home to get medical care, wear a respirator or medical mask that fits well to help protect others. See ph.lacounty.gov/masks for more information. Have someone else who does not have COVID pick up your prescription if possible.
The 3 antiviral medicines in the table below are available to treat mild to moderate COVID-19. Two are medicines that are taken by mouth and one is an IV infusion. They all work by helping to prevent the virus from multiplying in your body. All 3 medicines are authorized or approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19.
*Molnupiravir is not recommended for use during pregnancy and is only recommended if other treatment medications are not available or appropriate.
Rebound infection is uncommon and usually mild.
Only take treatments prescribed by a health care provider.
People have been seriously harmed and even died after taking products not authorized for COVID-19, even if they have been approved or prescribed for other uses.
COVID-19 Treatments Are Not a Substitute for the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Vaccines are safe, effective, free, and widely available. They can protect you and others from getting sick with COVID-19.
Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody-based medicine. It is used before a person is exposed to COVID-19 to prevent them from getting infected. It is given as 2 separate injections into the buttocks during a single visit. The FDA has issued an EUA* for Evusheld for people who can’t get a COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons or whose immune system is not strong enough to mount a response to the vaccine. It is for people ages 12 and over who weigh at least 88lb.
Unfortunately, Evusheld may not work against many of the variants of the COVID-19 virus that are circulating right now. If you are moderately to severely immunosuppressed or can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of Evusheld. It is also important to take other steps to protect yourself like wearing a respirator or high-quality medical mask in public spaces. Get tested right away if you get any symptoms of COVID. If you do test positive and have symptoms seek treatment right away.
For more information, see the FDA patients/caregivers Evusheld Fact Sheet.
You should never be charged for the oral medicines Paxlovid or Lagevrio. And you don’t need to be a US citizen to get medicines. If you were told you would be charged, please report the pharmacy to the California Department of Public Health at go.cdph.ca.gov/covidpharmacyreporting or 1-833-422-4255. A facility may charge for administering Veklury or Evusheld, the medicines that are given by injection. There may also be charges for the doctor’s visit or other office charges.
A new law requires all health plans in California to cover the cost of COVID-19 tests, evaluation for treatments, vaccines and treatment with no cost-sharing in most circumstances. See Know Your Health Care Rights for details. Medicare and Medi-Cal cover all costs. If you do not have insurance, ask the treatment facility if there are fees. The DPH Tele-health Service is completely free.
In an emergency when lives are at risk, the FDA can issue an EUA to make a treatment available before it has completed a formal approval process as long as there’s evidence that strongly suggests that people benefit from the treatment. The FDA can also issue an EUA for unapproved uses of approved drugs for life-threatening conditions. Certain conditions must be met for an EUA to be issued, including that there are no other adequate, approved, and available options. Paxlovid, Lagevrio, and Evusheld have EUAs. Velkury has FDA approval.
To learn more about EUAs, visit the FDA EUA webpage.
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.