Where To Get Antiviral Medication Paxlovid in New York City

Although we have entered a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic where we have widespread access to testing and vaccinations available at your local pharmacy, cases are steadily rising in New York City — even amongst those vaccinated. The Pfizer antiviral, Paxlovid is the go-to prescription across all five boroughs and is available free of charge to all residents who present a positive test result and meet the prescription criteria.

Pharmacies That Carry Paxlovid in New York City  

As part of the new ‘Test to Treat’ Initiative, participating pharmacies will allow you to take a rapid antigen test onsite and receive a Paxlovid prescription within minutes of testing positive. Additionally, as of April 2022, Paxlovid prescriptions authorized by primary care physicians can be filled at all major pharmacies. New York City has a wide variety of pharmacy offerings, including CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Duane Reade, that are partners in the new initiative; knowing which sites near you have paxlovid stock makes accessing care more convenient.  

The list below is a great reference for figuring out what pharmacies around the city have courses of paxlovid available. However, If you don’t see your area listed or want to check stock outside of New York City, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the United States Department of Health and Human Services have created an interactive online database to search for your local pharmacies inventory of paxlovid and what facilities are apart of ‘test to treat.’

STOCK AS OF July 28, 2022  

Below is a curated list of pharmacies across Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island offering paxlovid and how many courses of treatment they have in stock. Each borough is broken down by popular neighborhoods that currently have paxlovid in stock. 

Manhattan     

 Below is a list of pharmacies that currently have courses of paxlovid. The list is divided by Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown (East and West Side). 

Uptown - West Side 

Uptown - East Side 

Midtown  

Downtown  

Brooklyn    

The list below contains pharmacies with courses available in popular Brooklyn neighborhoods. 

Williamsburg  

Bushwick  

Brooklyn Heights 

Park Slope  

The Bronx  

The list below contains pharmacies that have courses available in the East Bronx, Northwest Bronx, and South Bronx. 

East Bronx    

Northwestern Bronx  

South Bronx   

Staten Island   

The list below contains pharmacies that have courses available in the Westerleigh, Greenridge, and Old Town Station area. 

Westerleigh 

Greenridge   

Old Town Station  

Queens  

The list below contains pharmacies that courses available in Astoria, Sunnyside, and Jamaica. 

Astoria  

Sunnyside  

Jamaica  

Paxlovid and Antiviral Frequently Asked Questions FAQ(s) 

Here are few of the frequently asked questions about antiviral medications and paxlovid prescriptions. 

How effective is paxlovid?   

As paxlovid is the first-choice recommendation for COVID-19 infections, it has the highest rate of effectiveness Clinical trials showed proper usage of the oral medication reduces the risk of hospitalization and death for people at risk for severe infection by 90 percent. 

How much does the paxlovid prescription cost?  

As of February 2022, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that paxlovid and other antiviral prescription medications will temporarily be free of charge to all patients in the face of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Information has yet to be released if and when the prescription will have an associated cost or if it will be covered by insurance.   

Are there any alternatives to paxlovid?   

In terms of prescription antiviral medications, molupiravir is the only alternative to paxlovid. Molupiravir is the Merck and RidgeBack Biotherapeutics antiviral that is the second choice recommendation for reducing the severity of infection via antiviral medication. In contrast to paxlovid, molupiravir is only authorized for adults ages 18 and older and reduces the risk of hospiticlain and death by 30 percent.  

Both the ASPR and Department of Health and Human Services locator have the option to look at the stock of molupiravir in addition to Paxlovid. Molupiravir is only available for those who are 18 years old and older and has different requirement criteria than paxlovid. Although it's comforting to have two options of antiviral,  paxlovid is the first-choice recommendation.

Bottom Line  

New York City is currently leading in Paxlovid courses, with almost 10,000 courses available across all five boroughs. With so many pharmaceutical retailers available city-wide, you have several options for COVID-19 testing and filling a paxlovid prescription. The ASPR locator allows you to filter available pharmacies by your address and see what's in stock in your area. Nevertheless, knowing which locations have a higher stock can save you time, money, and stress from having to visit multiple pharmacy locations. 

As Paxlovid is a prescription-only treatment, having access to a primary care physician that provides you with a test and assesses your symptoms is essential for getting the treatment you need in a timely manner. With Mira, you have access to affordable testing, low-cost virtual and urgent care same-day lab testing, and up to 8- percent off of over 1,000 different prescription medications. Sign up Today!