Who can take

Paxlovid™.

If you have mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and have at least one high risk factor increasing your chances of getting very sick from COVID, PAXLOVID could be an option for you.

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3 out of 4 adults have a risk factor for progression to severe COVID

You might not know this, but a majority of American adults have at least one risk factor putting them at greater risk of progression to severe COVID. If you have mild-to-moderate COVID, have had symptoms for 5 days or fewer, and have one of the risk factors listed below (including being age 50 or over), PAXLOVID could be an option for you.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your risk of progressing to severe COVID may also be increased if you:

  • Are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations against COVID
  • Experience healthcare access inequities due to race, ethnicity, disability, or where you live or work
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Talk to your doctor about treatment if you tested positive and have any of the conditions below. Your chances of COVID getting worse are higher.

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Detailed List of High Risk Factors

Age
  • The CDC recommends treatment for anyone 50 and older
  • People who are 65 years of age or older are at the highest risk
Physical Diseases and Conditions

Blood disorders

  • Sickle cell disease or thalassemia

Cancer

Cerebrovascular disease

  • Stroke

Chronic kidney problems

  • People with moderate-to-severe renal impairment will need different doses or dosing schedules of PAXLOVID

Chronic liver problems

  • Cirrhosis (or scarring of the liver)
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Alcohol-related liver disease
  • Autoimmune hepatitis
  • PAXLOVID is not recommended for people with severe liver disease

Chronic lung diseases

  • Moderate-to-severe asthma
  • Bronchiectasis (thickening of the lungs’ airways)
  • A chronic lung disease affecting newborns called bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
  • Damaged or scarred lung tissue known as interstitial lung disease (including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis)
  • Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs)
  • Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs)

Cystic fibrosis

Diabetes type 1 and type 2

Heart conditions

  • Heart failure
  • Coronary artery disease (damage or disease in the heart's major blood vessels)
  • Cardiomyopathies (heart muscle diseases)
  • Possibly high blood pressure (hypertension)

Infections and other contagious illnesses

  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • Tuberculosis

Neurological conditions

  • Dementia

Weakened immune system, which may be caused by:

  • Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
  • Corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or other medicines that reduce immune function
  • Primary immunodeficiency
Weight

An overweight or obese body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher is a risk factor for adults.

Don’t know your BMI? Calculate it here*

*By clicking this link, you will be redirected to a website that is neither owned nor controlled by Pfizer. Pfizer is not responsible for the content or services of this site.

Pregnancy
Your risk is increased if you are pregnant or were pregnant within the last 6 weeks. It’s not known if PAXLOVID is safe to use during pregnancy, so be sure to tell your healthcare professional if you are pregnant or have been pregnant within the last few months.
Mental Health Conditions

Mental health conditions increase your risk, including:

  • Mood disorders, such as depression
  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
Lifestyle Factors
  • Doing little or no physical activity
  • Current or former smoker
  • Substance use disorders (such as alcohol, opioid, or cocaine use disorders)
Disabilities

Some mental, physical, and developmental disabilities increase risk, including those that:

  • Limit mobility
  • Reduce a person’s ability to follow preventive measures, like hand washing
  • Require close contact with those who may be infected, such as a caregiver or family member
  • Reduce a person’s ability to communicate their symptoms

These disabilities put you at risk:

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Charcot Foot
  • Chromosomal Disorders
  • Chromosome 17 and 19 Deletion
  • Chromosome 18q Deletion
  • Cognitive Impairment
  • Congenital Hydrocephalus
  • Congenital Malformations
  • Deafness/Hearing Loss
  • Disability Indicated by Barthel Index
  • Down Syndrome
  • Fahr’s Syndrome
  • Fragile X Syndrome
  • Gaucher Disease
  • Hand and Foot Disorders
  • Learning disabilities
  • Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) or Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA)
  • Leigh Syndrome
  • Limitations with self-care or activities of daily living
  • Maternal Inherited Diabetes and Deafness (MIDD)
  • Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-Like Episodes (MELAS) and Risk Markers
  • Mobility Disability
  • Movement Disorders
  • Multiple Disability (referred to in research papers as “bedridden disability”)
  • Multisystem Disease
  • Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged Red Fibers (MERRF)
  • Myotonic Dystrophy
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Neuromuscular Disorders
  • Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)
  • Neuropathy, Ataxia, and Retinitis Pigmentosa (NARP)
  • Perinatal Spastic Hemiparesis
  • Primary Mitochondrial Myopathy (PMM)
  • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
  • Senior-Løken Syndrome
  • Severe and complex disability (referred to in research papers as “polyhandicap disability”)
  • Spina Bifida and Other Nervous System Anomalies
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Tourette Syndrome
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Visual Impairment/Blindness
  • Wheelchair Use
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Additional information to share with your healthcare professional when discussing PAXLOVID

Be sure to let your healthcare professional know if you have any allergies

Do not take PAXLOVID if you’re allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of the ingredients in PAXLOVID.

Come with a list of all the medicines you take

Including all of your prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. PAXLOVID can interact with other medicines causing severe or life-threatening side effects or death. Be sure to tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take when discussing PAXLOVID.

PAXLOVID may affect how oral contraceptives work

If you are able to become pregnant, you should discuss birth control with your healthcare professional. You may need to use a different or additional form of contraception.

Tell your healthcare professional if you have liver or kidney problems or have HIV infection

If you have any recent blood test results, bring them for your healthcare professional to review. PAXLOVID isn’t for people with severe liver disease. PAXLOVID may lead to some HIV medicines not working as well in the future.

Tell your healthcare professional if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or plan to breastfeed

PAXLOVID can pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with PAXLOVID.

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Don’t wait if you have any of the conditions listed above.

If you wait too long to treat COVID, it may be too late to help stop severe illness. PAXLOVID must be started within 5 days of symptom onset.

Learn how to get

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Quick links

Why Take PAXLOVID

How to Get PAXLOVID

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