In his State of the Union address of 1er March, United States President Joe Biden unveiled a new system where rapid tests for COVID-19 would be performed at pharmacies across the country. Positive results would lead to the immediate and free delivery of antiviral treatments to patients.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
This vision marks a new phase in the management of the pandemic. As we move from pandemic to endemic COVID-19, many of the activities prohibited in the past two years will now be permitted. Weddings, ceremonies, celebrations and other gatherings, participation in sporting events, major musical and cultural performances and travel will now be open. And as we celebrate these new freedoms, it will be tempting to think that COVID-19 will no longer be a part of our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Indeed, COVID-19 will not disappear, and our goal must remain to reduce its impact on society and on the health system. Our first line of defense remains vaccination. There are still 15% of eligible Canadians who have not completed their first round of vaccinations, and only 50% have received their booster dose. Although vaccination remains our best weapon against viral transmission, and boosters should be positively encouraged, there are now treatments that can significantly reduce the effect of the virus in infected people.
To return to normal life, it is necessary to protect people for whom the vaccine is less effective, people at high risk and those with compromised immune systems.
Treatments such as monoclonal antibodies and targeted antiviral therapies are highly effective in reducing the rate of hospitalization and death in adults infected with COVID-19, especially the most vulnerable. Rapid deployment of these treatments will require a systematic approach to reduce the burden of COVID-19 on the health system. Different treatment options will be needed to create personalized treatment plans based on patient circumstances.
One of the biggest challenges is getting the word out about these drugs – their effectiveness as well as their availability. Both frontline healthcare providers and the general public are not always aware of these treatments, their effectiveness and how to access them. We need to develop processes to ensure that high-risk patients have access to a range of measures that start with optimal access to testing and culminate in appropriate access to treatment. Tests must be highly accurate, with fast turnaround times. In addition, linking testing to access to care is paramount, so that eligible patients can easily access treatment upon testing positive for COVID-19.
However, for the benefits of this approach to be maximized, healthcare professionals must have easy and urgent access to all available treatments. COVID-19 therapies are not universal, and healthcare professionals must make individualized decisions based on individual patient factors – such as ability to take medication, access to an infusion center, the risk of drug interactions and underlying medical conditions.
Canadian authorities must therefore approve all effective therapies to improve access, and then evaluate the effectiveness of these therapies in the field. Access to a greater number of therapies will allow better dissemination in remote communities and guarantee greater equity of access.
Finally, stable supply chains of these medicines will create reliable systems for patients and their caregivers to ensure optimized access.
How we deal with COVID-19 in 2022 will be very different from when the pandemic started. Access to a full series of vaccines has mitigated severe consequences for the vast majority of the population. However, we must recognize that as we move into the endemic phase, there is a need to prioritize treatment, especially in the most vulnerable groups, to provide another round of protections. As these advances continue, they will lead to more effective management of our healthcare capacities, a fundamental tenet of our response to the pandemic.
Canada needs a plan. Continued awareness, education and communication activities as well as access to all new medicines will be essential for us to live with COVID-19 in the long term. After all the sacrifices made over the past two years, Canadians deserve no less.
* Co-signers: Zain Chaglainfectious disease physician at St. Joe’s Hamilton and associate professor at McMaster University; Jia Hupublic health physician, CEO and co-founder of 19 To Zero