Allegheny County residents have a few more options to protect their health from infectious diseases, including home delivery of antiviral medication.
To ensure all county residents have access, the health department has a contract with Allentown’s Hilltop Pharmacy to bring Tpoxx, a treatment for monkeypox, to the front doors of patients. The antiviral pills are typically taken twice a day for two weeks.
“The need comes from people with very painful infection or infection near the eye or places of concern. So not everyone who gets monkeypox gets this medication,” said Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the county’s health department, during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.
So far, more than 3,000 monkeypox vaccines have been administered in the county. Bogen said demand for the vaccine has slowed, so the county has expanded eligibility from only those exposed to the virus to people in certain high-risk groups. These include individuals with multiple sexual partners or who have anonymous sex.
As of Sunday, there have been 63 monkeypox cases among Allegheny County residents.
COVID-19 boosters
According to state data released Friday, more than 40 Allegheny County pharmacies have the new Omicron COVID-19 booster shots. The doses target the original strain of COVID-19, and the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants.
Only Moderna was available in the county as of Friday. The booster from this drugmaker is approved for people 18 and older. Pfizer boosters can be given to people as young as 12, but those doses are not yet widely available in Pennsylvania..
People recently infected with COVID-19 should wait a few months before getting the booster.
