Access to Covid-19 antiviral and preventative medication, Covid-19 disability helpline

Disabled Persons Assembly NZ -

With the current rise of Covid-19 cases we thought it timely to include a reminder of some of the help that is available:

Covid-19 Disability Helpline
There is a dedicated Covid-19 disability helpline which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call free on 0800 11 12 13 or text 8988 for help or information about vaccines, testing, face mask exemptions, and/or managing Covid-19 at home. You can also access this helpline using the NZ Relay Service.

Antiviral Medication
Covid-19 antiviral medicines can help people who are at risk of becoming very sick with Covid-19 and help you stay out of hospital. These medicines are free for those who are eligible.

You can talk to your doctor, pharmacist or a registered nurse either immediately after you test positive or develop symptoms to see if the medicines are right for you. Many pharmacists will be able to supply COVID-19 antivirals without a prescription if you test positive or are a Household Contact. The pharmacist will check your eligibility.

Preapproval for antivirals
Some people who are at high risk for acute respiratory illnesses can also be preapproved by their doctor for Covid-19 medicines and receive a prescription in advance that they can use should they need the medicine immediately. People are advised to talk to their GP about whether they are eligible for this.

For more information about antivirals and eligibility see Medicines to treat Covid-19.

Preventative medicine
If you are severely immunocompromised you may be eligible for Evusheld.
Evusheld is a preventative medicine and can help reduce severe illness and hospitalisation from Covid-19. It is available for some severely immunocompromised people 12 years old and over. You can talk to your doctor or health professional about whether this medicine is right for you.
You can get the 2 injections of Evusheld before you get Covid-19, or at least 2 weeks after your recovery.

See Eligibility criteria for preventative medicine.