Resource to help you find free COVID-19 treatment

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Test To Treat is a federally-supported online resource that shows you where to get free COVID-19 medication near you.

All you have to is type in your zip code, and it lists participating pharmacies.

“The government started the Test to Treat program. The Test to Treat program are pharmacies and other facilities throughout the state that offer medication at no cost. There’s no charge to the patient for getting that script filled,” Doctor Brooke Rossheim with the Virginia Department of Health said. “Most people we are steering towards the oral agent Paxlovid. That is our number one treatment recommendation at this point, which goes along with what NIH is saying and so you’re going to need that assessment with a medical provider to see if Paxlovid is right for you.”

According to the CDC, Paxlovid continues to be recommended for early-stage treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 for people at high risk for progression to severe disease.

“So a person must have symptoms,” Dr. Rossheim said. “It doesn’t have to be severe symptoms, it could literally be just one symptom of a runny nose. A person who is purely and totally asymptomatic is not going to qualify for treatment.”

Rossheim says the first step to getting medication for COVID-19 is to take a test to see if you are positive. The doctor wants everyone to use the free tests the federal government is distributing.

“We’re now in round three of free tests. So if you’ve already ordered free tests for rounds one and two, you can now order a third round, in which case they will send you eight free tests. Actually, I just ordered a third round and I got 10 of them. So that was the deal. So please take advantage of the federal government’s free at home testing,” Rossheim said.

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