COVID-19 treatments can be taken in your own home and can help reduce your symptoms.
The medications are taken as tablets or capsules every 12 hours for 5 days and should be started within 5 days from when symptoms begin, or as soon as possible after testing positive for COVID-19 if you have no symptoms.
You may be eligible for oral treatments if you test positive for COVID-19, and are :
- 70 years or older, regardless of risk factors, and with or without symptoms
- 50 years or older with 2 additional risk factors
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, 30 years or older and with 2 risk factors.
Risk factors for these groups include:
- living in residential aged care
- living with disability with multiple conditions and/or frailty (not limited to living in supported accommodation)
- neurological conditions such as stroke, dementia and demyelinating conditions e.g. multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- chronic respiratory conditions including COPD, moderate or severe asthma
- obesity diabetes (type I or II requiring medication)
- heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies
- kidney failure or cirrhosis
- living remotely with reduced access to higher level healthcare.
People aged 18 years and older
If you test positive for COVID-19 and are 18 years and older, you may be eligible for oral treatments if you are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
Moderately or severely immunocompromising conditions include:
- blood cancer or some red blood cell disorders (thalassemia, sickle cell disease)
- transplant recipient
- primary or acquired (HIV) immunodeficiency
- chemotherapy or whole-body radiotherapy in the last 3 months
- high dose corticosteroids or pulse corticosteroid therapy in the last 3 months
- immunosuppressive treatments in the last 3 months
- rituximab in the last 12 months
- cerebral palsy or down syndrome
- congenital heart disease
- living with disability with multiple conditions and/or frailty.
You need a prescription to receive oral COVID-19 treatments so talk to your healthcare worker about your eligibility.
Watch a video on the Department of Health and Aged care website with Dr Lucas de Toca about COVID-19 oral treatments, including who is eligible, when to take them, and how to access them in rural or remote areas.
