Treatments

Treatments

Non-medical treatments

Non-medical treatments for patients and staff experiencing virus symptoms include:

• complete rest
• drinking plenty of fluids
• eating healthy foods
• practising good hygiene

Advise patients and staff to avoid the workplace if they have symptoms and remind them of the generic benefits of mask wearing (e.g. reduced influenza as well as COVID-19 transmission).

Oral antiviral treatments

Oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19

Two antiviral medicines, Lagevrio (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid© (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir), were provisionally approved for use in Australia for the treatment of COVID-19 in January 2022. Both are now available via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) as Authority Required (Streamlined) items.

Eligible patients are now able to access these medicines from their local pharmacy, where available, with a prescription from their doctor or nurse practitioner.

To support safe and appropriate prescribing of these medicines, the RACGP has published guidance:

• Factsheet-Molnupiravir-PBS.pdf
• Factsheet Paxlovid.pdf (pbs.gov.au)

Oral antiviral treatments for Influenza

Tamiflu© is an oral antiviral used for both post-exposure chemoprophylaxis and to treat Influenza A and B infections.

Tamiflu product information