Canada approves Pfizer COVID drug as hospitalizations rise and kids return to school

Health Canada added another tool to its pandemic-fighting arsenal Monday, approving Pfizer's antiviral treatment for COVID-19 as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant continued to tax the country's health-care system and millions of students returned to in-person learning.

The agency authorized Paxlovid for adult patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 who are also at high risk of becoming more seriously ill. Health Canada did not authorize it for use on teenagers or on patients who are already hospitalized because of COVID-19.

Hospitalizations continued to rise Monday as Ontario reported 578 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units and 3,887 in hospital overall, up from 3,595 a day before. Quebec, meanwhile, reported 3,381 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 286 in ICU.

The Pfizer pill uses a combination of two antiviral drugs to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from replicating once it has infected a patient.

News of the authorization came as Canadian students in four provinces returned to in-person learning, though a heavy winter snow storm in Ontario meant another virtual school day for many.

Students in Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia also returned to class after starting the new year online because of record-high case counts. The provinces switched to remote learning to take pressure off the health-care system and give schools more time to improve safety measures.

Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser with Health Canada, said the Pfizer pill comes at a “crucial time in the pandemic as we're faced with new variants.”

The drug could help alleviate pressure on health-care systems by decreasing the number of people who would require hospitalization, but health officials noted on a conference call Monday that supply would be an issue early on.

The prescription medication is meant to be taken at home within five days of the start of symptoms, timing that could prove challenging as Canada deals with a limited capacity for PCR testing.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief medical officer, said rapid tests could also be used to determine who might receive Paxlovid.

She said provinces and territories will determine how best to use limited supply of the drug, adding that deployment to jurisdictions will be based on a per-capita basis.

Tam said priority for Paxlovid will be given to those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and don't mount enough protection against COVID-19 with vaccines; people over the age of 80 whose vaccines are not up to date; and those 60 years and older living in rural or underserved communities including First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals whose vaccinations are not up to date.

Sharma said clinical trials showed treatment with Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 by 89 per cent when the medications were started within three days of the beginning of symptoms, and by 85 per cent when started within five days.

Meanwhile, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has updated its guidance on vaccination following myocarditis. 

The agency says those who either had no cardiac workup or had normal cardiac investigations can receive the next dose of their vaccine once they are symptom free and at least 90 days has passed since vaccination.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2022.

Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press