Coronavirus Watch: Pharmacists can prescribe COVID-19 pill

Getting a prescription for COVID-19 treatment could soon be as easy as walking into your local drugstore.

Pharmacists can now prescribe Paxlovid, Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, directly to patients under a new Food and Drug Administration policy.

Previously only doctors, nurses and physician assistants were permitted to prescribe the treatment.

The Biden administration has been working since the spring to expand access to the medication, opening thousands of sites where patients who test positive can fill a prescription.

The announcement comes as nationwide COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising again, though they remain near their lowest levels since the coronavirus outbreak began in 2020.

Also making news: 

• Beijing has begun mandating proof of vaccination before people can enter some public spaces including gyms, museums and libraries.

• Many Americans don’t expect to rely on the digital services — such as digital health care and grocery delivery — that became commonplace during the pandemic after COVID-19 subsides, according to a new poll.

Go ahead and scroll down for coronavirus news you should know about, including free COVID-19 tests for Michiganders in at-risk communities.

— Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press web editor

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Coronavirus Watch: Pharmacists can prescribe COVID-19 pill