A consultant in infectious diseases says people eligible for a tablet to help fight coronavirus may not be aware they're entitled to it.
Dr Eoghan de Barra says Ireland's uptake of the Pfizer drug Paxlovid has been very low.
Paxlovid is used to treat COVID-19 and was authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) back in January.
It reduces the ability of the virus to multiply in your body, and is available to people at the highest risk.
Dr de Barra told The Pat Kenny Show this is what living with COVID looks like, almost.
"Yes and then there's the caveat of it's changing - so things may change.
"The virus is constantly changing... so we need to have a bit of an eye on the ball that at some point in the future the whole situation may change.
"And we need to continue to use all of the tools that we have to reduce its impact at an individual and at a societal level.
"So that's getting the vaccines, if you're eligible for a vaccine get one.
"Get the next dose - get whatever it is you're due to.
"And if you're in one of the [at] risk groups - where you've got a weakened immune system or you're on some sort of therapies - and you get COVID, you're eligible for Paxlovid - the Pfizer tablet.
"Any GP in the country can prescribe it, and it can be delivered to any pharmacy in the country.
"Our use of it thus far has been very low - and I think we need to know that people can get it and that we can use it.
"Anything we can do to protect vulnerable means that the rest of us - our impact on it is less".
