How to get treatment for COVID-19 in New York City
The NYC Test & Treat Corps has built two pathways to expedite access to treatment:
- Visiting a mobile Test to Treat site — mobile testing units where you can receive Paxlovid onsite within minutes of a positive rapid test.
- Calling 212-COVID19 (212-2684319) — the city’s 24/7 COVID Hotline provides New Yorkers who test positive — including those using an at-home test — an immediate connection to a clinician who can prescribe treatments.
Mobile Test to Treat units are currently deployed at the locations listed here. New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/covidtest to find the city-run testing site nearest and most suitable to them, including by filtering testing sites by Test to Treat, mobile testing, or at-home test distribution locations.
New Yorkers may now present proof of a positive test — including at-home test results and test results from any external testing provider — at all mobile Test to Treat units to be evaluated for and prescribed COVID treatments on site.
Test results must be from within the past 5 days, and patients will be pre-screened for symptoms to determine their eligibility for treatment. Learn more.
The city’s unique 24/7 COVID-19 Hotline, 212-COVID-19, provides New Yorkers who test positive — including those using an at-home test — an immediate connection to a clinician who can prescribe treatments. After a short assessment, these clinicians can refer patients to monoclonal antibody treatment or prescribe antiviral medications, like Paxlovid, and arrange to have them delivered to their homes that same day. Make sure to talk to your provider to see which treatment is right for you.
In addition, the New York State Health Department has a COVID treatment hotline — 888-TREAT-NY — for New Yorkers who live outside of New York City and who do not have providers.
New Yorkers can also visit Virtual Express Care to schedule a phone or video visit or fill out the city’s screening tool. After a doctor decides which treatment is right for you, it will be sent to a nearby pharmacy or to your home.
The federal government’s “Test to Treat” initiative also makes it possible to get tested for COVID-19 at certain pharmacies. If someone receives a positive test, they can get free antiviral pills on the spot. Participating locations can be found on the federal website.
For the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), please call 311 or visit https://access.nyc.gov/programs/emergency-food-assistance/ to learn more about enrolling and/or where to find local food pantries.
Treatment FAQs
Treatment for COVID-19 including oral antiviral pills is currently available for at-risk New Yorkers free of charge. Monoclonal antibody (also known as mAb) treatments are covered by Medicaid and Medicare plans at no cost. NYC Health + Hospitals provides care regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.
Both oral antiviral treatments and monoclonal antibodies are available. Two oral antiviral pills are available for COVID-19 in New York City: Paxlovid and molnupiravir.
Paxlovid is prescribed as three pills taken twice a day for five days, while molnupiravir is prescribed as four pills taken twice a day for five days.
Both pills are available through a selected number of pharmacies across the city. You can find a list of those nearby on a federal website.
Monoclonal antibody treatment, which is a one-time intravenous (IV) treatment, is also available for use to eligible individuals. Locate nearby sites offering this kind of treatment using the HITE locator website.
If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised or unable to get vaccinated because you are allergic to the vaccine or any of its components, talk to your doctor about Evusheld — an injectable drug that increases your protection against COVID-19.
Find additional information on COVID-19 treatments available:
- US Food & Drug Administration – Know Your Treatment Options for COVID-19
- NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene – COVID-19 Treatments Are Available
Getting tested for COVID-19 is as important as ever, and New York City has many sites that offer COVID-19 testing at no cost to you, including NYC Health + Hospitals and our mobile testing fleet. Additionally, you can pick-up an at-home test kit for free at any one of our partner distribution sites.
Use the City’s COVID-19 Test Site Finder to find a no-cost City-run site most convenient to you, including a search filter to find the NYC Test & Treat Corps’ mobile Test-to-Treat units and free at-home test distribution sites.
New Yorkers may now present proof of a positive test — including at-home test results and test results from any external testing provider — at all mobile Test to Treat units to be evaluated for and prescribed COVID treatments on site.
Test results must be from within the past 5 days, and patients will be pre-screened for symptoms to determine their eligibility for treatment. Learn more.
All Test to Treat mobile units will provide on-site treatment and PCR testing by the end of October.
For most of the treatments, at-risk individuals are eligible. Those who are considered at-risk include people who have tested positive for COVID-19, have mild to moderate symptoms and those who are at increased risk of developing severe illness.
People ages 12 and older who test positive for COVID-19 (using any type of test) and have symptoms that began within the last five or seven days are eligible for oral antivirals or monoclonal antibody treatments, respectively. Ask about treatment, especially if you:
- Are age 65 and older
- Have an underlying health condition, such as obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, chronic lung conditions, chronic kidney disease, a weakened immune system, or are pregnant
For Evusheld, individuals should not have COVID-19 disease or have had recent close contact with someone who has COVID-19. People who are eligible should be moderate to severely immune compromised or unable to be vaccinated.
Individuals older than 12 and weighing more than 40 kilograms, or around 88 pounds, are eligible to receive Paxlovid and Evusheld but you have to be at least 18 years old to take molnupiravir.
People with severe kidney or liver disease may not be eligible for Paxlovid but moderate disease is not a contraindication. Molnupiravir cannot be used during pregnancy, and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should talk to your provider before taking Paxlovid.
To see if you qualify for monoclonal antibody treatment, use the Monoclonal Antibody Eligibility Screening Tool.
It is important for individuals to talk with their providers about the medications they are taking or planning to take, as they could negatively interact with available treatments.
Oral antiviral treatments have been proven to reduce hospitalization and death from COVID-19 if taken soon after the onset of symptoms.
Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk, unvaccinated people by 88% when taken within five days of the onset of symptoms as shown in a Pfizer trial published in December 2021, before the first Omicron wave.
Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk, unvaccinated people by 30% when taken within five days of the onset of symptoms, according to an analysis from Merck that was published in November 2021.
In a study using real-world efficacy data evaluating oral antivirals during Omicron, Paxlovid has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalizations or death by 46% with similar effectiveness in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. In another study, Paxlovid has also been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients 65 years or older by 67%, and reduce their risk of death by 81%. Similarly, in a study evaluating efficacy data during Omicron, Molnupiravir has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 44%.
Evusheld, which can be administered as often as every six months, was found to be strongly effective in preventing the development of symptomatic COVID-19 or death according to a clinical trial conducted by AstraZeneca.
Monoclonal antibodies have also been shown to be highly effective in preventing severe illnesses and hospitalizations.
Both Evusheld and monoclonal antibody treatments have also been shown to be effective against the latest Omicron variants.
Oral antiviral pills such as Paxlovid and Molnupiravir work by targeting specific proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19) to prevent its replication within the body.
For more information on Paxlovid and other oral antivirals, you can refer to an information sheet provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Monoclonal antibodies are made in a laboratory and work as substitute antibodies that can help fight an infection before the body mounts its own immune response.
Evusheld is a combination of two long-acting monoclonal antibodies, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, that bind to the spike protein of the virus and prevents it from entering and infecting cells. Evusheld is administered through intramuscular injection and should be re-administered every six months to ensure enough antibodies are present in the body to fight an infection in case an individual is exposed.
Paxlovid is tolerated well by patients. Side effects that have been seen in small numbers in clinical trials include bad taste, diarrhea, hypertension, and soreness.
No serious side effects have been reported for Molnupiravir. Possible side effects could include diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea.
Because monoclonal antibodies are given intravenously, some people may experience a rash at the injection site.