L.A. County gives COVID shots at home. Advocates fear ‘people just don’t know about this’
This article is more than 2 years old
This article is more than 2 years old
People can give themselves the coronavirus treatment at home, Los Angeles County has announced.
It is the first time the county has announced a program that allows people to receive a prescription for the antiviral drug hydroxychloroquine and vitamin C and potassium.
Los Angeles County will be one of the first in the US to open up a home-based coronavirus COVID-19 clinic for residents.
“I think everybody knows their own story, their own circumstances,” said LADC health officer Dr Lisa Madigan. “This is one way that we can address the need as quickly as possible. And we should be focused all along on getting the patients that need to be seen in the ambulatory care setting the most, through to recovery.”
The department said the clinic, which will feature an emergency room and isolation room, will serve patients “in the most need”, although it has not set a timeframe.
On Wednesday Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a $50m plan to help Los Angeles County residents get essential services.
As part of the plan, Garcetti said, Los Angeles County would offer “self-care at home”, where residents would receive “medications and services to address chronic conditions and injuries”.
He said the focus of the plan would be on residents of low-income households, but there was no indication if health workers could offer similar services to people who have jobs.
Madigan said she was hopeful that LADC’s announcement would be the first step in a wider program.
LADC health officer Dr Lisa Madigan (@LASUMedSci)!
“I hope that this program will be expanded to other health departments across the country.”
Garcetti said his goal was to get the services to residents as quickly as possible and said the county would take into account a person’s financial ability to pay.
“It’s just one more step for us to take to ensure we
