Human society is facing emerging infectious disease threats with increasing frequency, potentially with novel medical countermeasures available, but often with initial limited access and supply. Long-standing racial health inequities create barriers to accessing critical new treatments that can further exacerbate health disparities in an emergency. During the 2022 mpox outbreak, the antiviral tecovirimat was made available from federal stockpiles for the treatment of mpox disease. Here, the authors describe New York City's multipronged approach to ensure access to mpox therapeutics, which built on related work during the Covid-19 pandemic. This approach can serve as a road map to addressing systemic barriers to treatment and care during emergency responses. It includes (1) targeting messaging and outreach to providers serving marginalized communities, (2) use of a centralized pharmacy process for medication access, (3) setting up a treatment evaluation and referral process, and (4) monitoring utilization through integration of data across multiple public health data sources. The result was tecovirimat treatment prescribed to 32% of all patients with mpox in New York City. This approach to tecovirimat access during the mpox outbreak in New York City illustrates a model for public health and health care delivery partnerships that could be implemented when novel medical countermeasures become available in the setting of an emerging infectious disease outbreak.

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 675 million confirmed cases and nearly 7 million deaths worldwide [1]. While testing for COVID-19 was initially centered in health care facilities, with required reporting to health departments, it is increasingly being performed in the home with rapid antigen testing [2]. Most at-home tests are self-interpreted and not reported to a provider or health department, which could lead to delayed reporting or underreporting of cases [3]. As such, there is a strong possibility that reported cases may become a less reliable indicator of transmission over time.

We assessed tecovirimat treatment equity for 3,740 mpox patients in New York, New York, USA, during the 2022 mpox emergency; 32.4% received tecovirimat. Treatment rates by race/ethnicity were 38.8% (White), 31.3% (Black/African American), 31.0% (Hispanic/Latino), and 30.1% (Asian/Pacific Islander/other). Future public health emergency responses must prioritize institutional and structural racism mitigation.

Abstract Background In December 2021, the oral antivirals (OAVs) nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir were authorized for the treatment of COVID-19 in high-risk patients. Initial supplies were limited and states designated pharmacies to receive OAVs from a weekly federal allocation. New York City (NYC) has nearly 3,000 pharmacies serving a diverse population across a large urban area. To ensure fair access to OAVs, the NYC Health Department partnered with an online pharmacy to provide rapid delivery to any NYC address. Here we describe characteristics of patients served and metrics used to evaluate the program as the pandemic and OAV access evolved in 2022. Methods The NYC partner pharmacy provided data on OAV prescriptions including patient age, sex, delivery zip code, and dates of prescription and delivery. These data were matched with the NYC Health Department’s COVID-19 surveillance data including positive lab reported cases, Citywide Immunization Registry, deaths, all-cause emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions. Descriptive statistics were calculated using R Statistical Software. Results A total of 48,947 OAV prescriptions were delivered in 2022, reaching 99.5% of residential zip codes, accounting for 17.5% of the OAVs dispensed in NYC. The median time from prescription receipt to delivery was 17 hours (IQR 6-24) with half (49%) of deliveries going to high social vulnerability zip codes. Of OAV recipients, most (58%) were female, with a median age of 56 years (IQR 39, 68) with 32% aged 65 years or older; 78% had received at least a primary vaccination series; 36% matched with a lab reported COVID-19 case; 5.5% had an ED visit and 0.8% were hospitalized in NYC for any cause within 30 days of prescription date. Conclusion The NYC antiviral delivery program provided broad and timely access to COVID OAVs, serving a significant proportion of patients in high social vulnerability neighborhoods and older adults at higher risk for severe outcomes. Of note, an increasing proportion of people receiving OAVs were not reported as cases to public health, which likely reflects the increasing use of home tests in 2022. Limitations include the lack of data on race/ethnicity, underlying medical conditions and for patients receiving OAVs through other pharmacies. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Abstract Background COVID-19 has caused over 6 million deaths worldwide. While testing was initially centered in healthcare facilities with automatic reporting to health departments, it is increasingly being performed in the home with rapid antigen testing. Many at-home tests are self-interpreted and not typically reported. In December 2021, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir were authorized for the treatment of COVID-19 in high-risk patients. In New York City (NYC), these antivirals are available for free via pickup or home delivery, allowing for early expanded access. We sought to identify if prescribing of antivirals might act as an early indicator of increasing COVID-19 incidence in the setting of decreased case reporting. Methods Confirmed and probable COVID-19 tests are reported to the NYC Health Department. All pharmacies participating in the federal COVID-19 therapeutics program are required to report daily utilization data, which are made available to jurisdictions through the Tiberius platform. From December 27, 2021 to April 18, 2022, we analyzed citywide weekly case counts, using patients 65 years and over as a proxy for high-risk eligible patients, and weekly oral therapeutic prescription fills. We calculated weekly case rates and prescribing rates per 100,000 residents. Weekly case rates and prescription fill rates were trended to assess for concordance over time. Results During this period, 17,522 prescriptions were filled. Prescription fills and case rates were concordant until the weeks of February 28 and March 7, when an increase in fill rate was noted from the week prior (1.76 to 2.34 to 4.10), while reported case incidence continued to decrease (6.16 to 5.08 to 4.61). This discordance coincided with the emergence of the BA.2 subvariant in NYC. After these weeks, an uptick in case incidence was noted for the remainder of the study period, in concordance with prescription data. Conclusion Increasing rates of oral therapeutic prescribing could be an early indicator of increasing COVID-19 transmission. Limitations include the unclear impact of public and prescriber education efforts on prescribing trends. Next steps include exploring the addition of prescription data into modeling to predict trends in transmission as reported cases becomes a less reliable indicator. Disclosures Gabriel M. Cohen, MD, Daybreak Health: Advisor/Consultant|Daybreak Health: Board Member|Daybreak Health: Ownership Interest Andrew B. Wallach, MD, Pfizer: Advisor/Consultant.