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5 years on from the beginning of the pandemic, with its worldwide lockdowns and border closures, new knowledge has revealed a manner of monitoring waves of COVID-19, and suggests one staple of pandemic life continues to be very a lot wanted.
An examination of three.8 million affected person information from common practices throughout NSW and Victoria in 2022–23 has proven simply over 3% of sufferers have been prescribed oral COVID-19 antivirals, however that quantity was increased for older age teams.
The research revealed within the Australian Journal of Major Well being, by researchers from the Australian Institute of Well being Innovation at Macquarie College, analyzed routinely collected, de-identified session and prescription info from 938 common practices between March 2022 and September 2023.
Two oral COVID-19 antivirals have been authorized to be used in Australia in January 2022, and have been added to the Pharmaceutical Advantages Scheme in March and Could 2022 respectively.
Initially, eligibility was restricted to sufferers with specified danger components, together with age, dwelling in residential aged care, or having sure well being situations. These have been expanded throughout 2022–23.
The research’s senior creator, Professor Andrew Georgiou, says the analysis was undertaken to have a look at gaps within the information round how oral COVID-19 antivirals have been being prescribed on the whole observe, together with affected person demographics and the position performed by telehealth.
“Greater understanding of the uptake of oral COVID-19 antivirals can help inform future directions for eligibility criteria, provide a better comprehension of the characteristics of patients receiving treatment, and identify demands on general practice,” he says.
“Out of our pattern, 3.39% of sufferers aged 15 years and older have been prescribed antivirals, however that rose to 14.79% of these aged 70 and older, with the 80 to 84 age group being the probably to obtain prescriptions.
“They were more likely to be prescribed to females than males, to people in Victoria than those in NSW, and to those in higher socioeconomic groupings.”
The vast majority of sufferers who have been prescribed antivirals solely obtained one prescription within the 19-month research interval, with simply over 7% receiving a couple of prescription.
Sufferers with continual situations—significantly cardiovascular and musculoskeletal situations—have been additionally extra more likely to obtain antivirals, which gives vital insights into well being traits of sufferers looking for the remedy.
Monitoring waves and the significance of telehealth
Professor Georgiou says month-to-month prescribing volumes additionally aligned with COVID-19 waves.
“At the height of the pandemic, it was mandatory to report a positive COVID-19 test result, and this fed into state and federal health department data, which was vital for disease tracking,” he says. “That knowledge is now not collected, however COVID continues to flow into in the neighborhood.
“Our results suggest that in its absence, we can use the volume of oral COVID-19 antivirals being prescribed by GPs as another indicator of periods of increased transmission.”
One other key discovering was that telehealth was used for greater than 54% of consultations the place COVID-19 antivirals have been prescribed.
Professor Georgiou says this reveals continued entry to telehealth is required for COVID-positive sufferers, because it permits major well being care groups to supply time-critical care whereas decreasing their publicity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Extra info:
Judith Thomas et al, Oral COVID-19 antiviral prescribing in Australian common observe – a retrospective observational research, Australian Journal of Major Well being (2025). DOI: 10.1071/PY24170
Supplied by
Macquarie College
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COVID-19 antivirals largely prescribed to over-70s in Australia, finds research (2025, February 10)
retrieved 11 February 2025
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