Just 289 doses of Covid treatment tablet Paxlovid administered so far in Ireland

Information released to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall shows that relatively few doses of Paxlovid have been administered in Ireland. Picture: Damien Storan.

Just 289 doses of a treatment for Covid-19 have been used in Ireland so far, even though over 5,000 doses were delivered, the HSE has said.

The Paxlovid tablets can be taken within five days of a Covid infection to stop the illness from progressing. Trials found it cut hospitalisation and deaths by 88%.

However, information released to Social Democrats health spokeswoman Róisín Shortall shows that relatively few doses have been administered here so far.

Information from the HSE, given to Ms Shortall, said that 5,200 doses were delivered so far out of the ordered 14,000 doses from manufacturer Pfizer.

However, just 289 doses have been distributed to hospitals and community pharmacies.

In contrast, NHS England had administered 6,000 doses by mid-April, the latest figures available show.

Safety net

Patient groups have called for easier access to the medication here, and for an information campaign to alert doctors and patients to this option.

Irish Cancer Society director of advocacy Rachel Morrogh said: “For people who have not had an antibody response to vaccination, such as some blood cancer patients, having access to pre and post-exposure prophylaxis and antiviral treatments is an important safety net.” 

She said the society supports a global campaign being run by the International Covid-19 Blood Cancer Coalition to increase access to these medications and other measures everywhere.

CLL Ireland, which represents patients with blood cancers, has called for more information on why so few doses have been used.

“I don’t know what is happening on the ground so patients are not accessing it," said co-founder Michael Rynne. "We know that patients are getting Covid.” 

Based on the feedback he gets, many doctors are still not aware that they can prescribe this drug. He welcomed the current HSE campaign encouraging mask-wearing and called for a similar approach to Covid medication.

“The messaging has been good, they did a really really good job on that ad campaign,” he said. 

But patients have to be their own advocates for Paxlovid. They only have five days. They need to know from their GP if they are eligible before they even get Covid.” 

The HSE has previously written to GPs, saying it poses “significant challenges for prescribers” as it cannot be taken at the same time as some common medications, including warfarin.

Today, there were 778 Covid-positive patients in hospitals, including 33 admitted to intensive care units.

A further 50 people have been reported to have died with Covid-19, bringing the national total since the pandemic started to 7,436 up to Saturday.