Eligibility for COVID-19 protections antiviral medication and a fourth vaccine have been expanded

On Monday, access to cheap antiviral medicine for people aged 70 or older who test positive to COVID, and the expansion of eligibility for the fourth dose to people over 30 was made available.

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Tamworth GP Dr Ian Kamerman has prescribed the medication to a dozen or so people locally.

"Probably the most important change is that people over 70 who have a positive COVID test are entitled to receive antivirals, whether they have symptoms or not," he said.

The medication was previously only available to people over 70 who were also immunocompromised.

It has also been expanded to people aged 50 and older who have two or more risk factors for severe disease; Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged over 30 with two or more risk factors for severe disease; and some immunocompromised people over 18.

"It's great that this drug is now available for more people," Dr Kamerman said.

"What it's designed to do is reduce the risk of people getting sicker, so they don't end up in hospital.

"What it does is it reduces the risk of ending up in hospital, which is really what we're trying to avoid."

The criteria has been expanded to include people who have a broader range of chronic respiratory issues and for adults living with disability who have multiple medical conditions.

A person must have COVID before they become eligible for the medication, and it must be taken within five days of the onset of the illness.

The government is encouraging people who think they may fit the criteria to talk to a doctor about treatment options, and make a plan.

The second booster - or fourth dose - of the vaccine has also been made available to people over 30 from Monday.

Dr Kamerman had already started jabbing people in that new group.

"The more people that get vaccinated, the less likely there'll be increased pressure on our hospitals," he said.

"There's more and more COVID around, we're at the beginning of our third COVID wave.

"So we want to try and flatten that as much as possible and that means people need to be getting in for their fourth booster."

There are 137,260 active COVID-19 cases in NSW, with 2,002 admitted to hospital.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Company (PBAC) recommended the changes in response to the latest evidence on the effectiveness and safety of the medicines, current usage data and the changing epidemiology of COVID-19.

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