Are we missing the strategy that will end the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the pandemic drags on with a new variant and vaccinations continue to plateau, many Americans are wondering what could, at this point, finally bring an end to the virus that’s upended our lives for the past two years.

Two epidemiologists wrote in TIME magazine this week to make the case that the Biden Administration is missing the key strategy that could finally snuff out COVID-19.

Dr. Steven Phillips and Dr. Michael Mina wrote that the biggest untapped weapons in our arsenal are the new, highly effective, oral anti-viral medications.

If the U.S. were to deploy them with the same vigor and scale we did vaccinations, the doctors wrote, they believe the country would see at least a 50% sustained decrease in both national mortality and hospitalizations.

Right now, they wrote, too few people know about these life-saving medications or don’t have access to them.

Though President Joe Biden launched a “Test to Treat” initiative via his State of the Union address that makes free treatment available to those eligible who can receive a diagnosis from a medical provider at a “one-stop” approved Test-to-Treat facility, the doctors wrote, less than 10% of pharmacies have the providers and clinics to evaluate and prescribe the treatment all in one location.

This means, they wrote, that while 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy, more than half of the available supply of these new oral anti-virals is sitting on shelves because of how difficult it is to access a Test-to-Treat facility.

The doctors wrote that there are many barriers to creating more Test-to-Treat locations and opportunities, but the government has overcome comparable barriers in rolling out the national vaccine and at-home testing initiatives, and that the need to make anti-virals more available to at-risk Americans is urgent.

The doctors set out a six-step plan they recommend for enhancing the Test-to-Treat initiative.

1. Set a clear goal.
   The goal of a national Test-to-Treat program should be to get anti-virals to every eligible COVID-19 positive person within three days of getting symptoms, the doctors wrote.
2. Expand program eligibility.
   Right now, those eligible for Test-to-Treat are people who are over age 65, immunocompromised, or who have specific underlying conditions. As stock of anti-virals increases, the doctors said, opening eligibility to more people will help reduce hospitalizations and transmissions.
3. Create a new at-home program.
   With the use of at-home tests, virtual doctor visits, and pharmacy delivery, a Test-to-Treat at-home program could be created.
4. Make sure the anti-virals are prescribed safely.
   These medications react with other medications, so thorough patient safety evaluations are necessary.
5. Make it a federal program.
   The needs of a program like this require the type of public-private partnership used for Operation Warp Speed, the doctors wrote.
6. The monetary cost is worth it.
   The doctors estimate the program would cost $10 billion, but that it would be offset by the amount of money saved on serious treatments for COVID-19.