Get started
Work

Still Treating Yesterday's Risk? Reconsidering Antiviral Use for Mild‐to‐Moderate COVID ‐19 Cases in a Broadly Immune Population

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Antivirals for mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were adopted for use based on trials in unvaccinated adults during the pre-Omicron period. In today's broadly immune populations, where the risk of hospitalisation and death has decreased substantially, there is a lack of high-quality contemporary evidence to support routine antiviral use for mild-to-moderate disease. Comparing the Australian and New Zealand experiences in the evolving COVID-19 landscape highlights differences in policy and prescribing practice. Treatment guidelines should be informed by systematic evaluation of emerging data, given uncertainty regarding antiviral effectiveness in a context of widespread immunity and milder disease, which have altered the balance of risks and benefits.
DOI: 10.5694/mja2.70241
Authors: Hadar Mudrik‐Zohar, Tim Cutfield, Susan Morpeth, Thomas Hills, Eamon Duffy, Laura J. Edwards, Allen C. Cheng, Steven Y. C. Tong
Institutions: The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Tel Aviv University, The University of Melbourne, Peter Doherty Institute, University of Auckland, Middlemore Hospital, Health New Zealand, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Auckland City Hospital, UNSW Sydney, Monash University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,400
OpenAlex ID: W7167034564
FWCI:
Cites: 22
Cited by:
Related to: