HARRISBURG – The Department of Health on Tuesday distributed the investigational antiviral medication, remdesivir, to treat patients in the hospital with COVID-19.
The federal government distributed the first shipment of 1,200 doses to the department on Tuesday, and this entire allotment has been shipped to Pennsylvania hospitals.
“The department is working to give our hospitals every opportunity to treat patients with COVID-19,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said.
“It is important to note that there is limited information on the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with COVID-19.
“However, it was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the recovery time in some people, which is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the emergency use of the medication for treatment.”
Fifty-one hospitals across Pennsylvania will be receiving the first shipment over the next few days, according to the Department of Health.
The hospitals that will receive the first shipments were determined based on the number of COVID-19 patients at the hospital over a recent seven-day period, and the severity of the illness of those patients based on whether they are on a ventilator.
The department will continue to work with its federal partners to acquire more doses of this medication to serve more patients across Pennsylvania.
Remdesivir is given to a patient through an IV once per day for up to 10 days, depending on how critically ill the patient is. According to the FDA, remdesivir may help decrease the amount of coronavirus in your body, which may help you get better faster.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Repeating shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.
As of 12 a.m., May 12, there were 57,991 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide in 67 counties and 3,806 confirmed deaths.
Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 and older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.
