Walgreens will partner with Uber and DoorDash to provide free delivery of the COVID antiviral treatment Paxlovid to Americans living in “socially vulnerable or medically underserved communities.”
The White House announced the initiative Tuesday as part of President Joe Biden’s push to increase COVID vaccinations and treatments to slow a possible fall and winter surge.
Free delivery will be available to patients who live in a socially vulnerable community based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index. The prescriptions must be filled at Walgreens.com or through the Walgreens app.
The initiative will formally launch in the coming weeks, according to the White House.
Paxlovid is a pill prescribed to help keep high-risk patients from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized. The drug was granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to patients 12 and at high risk for severe disease.
The Biden administration said this week that about 8 million doses have gone out to pharmacies, which should be “plenty” for the fall and winter. About 5.5 million doses have already been administered.
