UConn health officials said they've treated their first patient with a new oral pill for COVID-19.
The pill, called PAXLOVID, was given to a patient on Friday.
“We might be one of the very first in the state to actually dispense it, if not the first,” said Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of infectious diseases at UConn Health.
Officials didn't provide details about the individual, but did say they're only providing the pill to its highest-risk patients.
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The pill is not being given out at the UConn Health emergency department. It's unclear if or when it will be.
“This is a big deal,” said Dieckhaus. “This is a watershed moment in our fight against COVID-19.”
UConn Health officials said they have an extremely limited supply of the pill at this time and their use is very restrictive to patients with the highest risk of developing severe disease and hospitalization.
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“Dr. Dieckhaus, the UConn Health Pharmacy team, and EPIC team made it a priority to make sure this medication got to those patients who really needed it despite the holiday and limited staffing resources,” said Dr. Kim Metcalf, associate vice president of Pharmacy and Ancillary Services at UConn Health.
Since the pill was just administered, there was no immediate information available as to how it worked.
