Early COVID-19 treatments

Because these other conditions can increase your risk of becoming very sick, it is important that treatment is started within the first few days of being infected. Learn more about these early COVID-19 treatments below.

On this page

• Who is eligible?
• How to access treatment?
• Where is the treatment provided?
• Attending the clinic for treatment
• Referral information for health professionals

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for early COVID-19 treatments, you must be:

• COVID-19 positive (RAT or PCR) AND
• Within 7 days of the onset of symptoms AND
• Be over 65 or immunosuppressed

Please note: The eligibility criteria is based on guidance provided by the Department of Health and is subject to change.

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How to access treatment?

Please ask your GP or GP Respiratory Clinic for an urgent telehealth appointment regarding COVID treatment as early as possible after your positive COVID test.

You can find details of GP Respiratory Clinics in your area via the Department of Health website.

If you haven’t already, please ensure you report your positive RAT at the Department of Health website online. This will ensure you are enrolled onto a COVID Pathway if you are high risk.

If you are a high-risk patient being looked after by the COVID Pathways at Monash Health, The Alfred or Peninsula Health, you may receive a phone call to see if you need an antiviral prescription and to help you start these quickly.

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Where is treatment provided?

The Monash Satellite Clinic provides early treatments for COVID-19 positive patients.

If you have been prescribed Remdesivir, you will receive treatment at this clinic.

The clinic is located in Moorabbin Hospital, 823-865 Center Road, Bentleigh East VIC 3165.

It is open from 9am to 4pm, with a referral and by appointment only.

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Attending the clinic for treatment

Getting to and from the clinic

• You or someone else who lives in your house can drive you to the clinic.
• If a household member drives you they cannot get out of the car and cannot come into the clinic.
• We can arrange transport if you cannot get to the clinic by yourself or with someone you live with.
• You cannot use public transport to come to the clinic.
• You cannot use a taxi or UBER to come to the clinic.
• There is free patient parking outside the clinic.
• Come in through the main door.
• Please stay in your car until the time of your appointment.

What to do before coming to the clinic?

• If you have done a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), please register your positive result here. This will link you to the Department of Health so your illness can be monitored.
• Let us know if your circumstances change, you become more unwell or cannot come to the appointment.
• If you need urgent medical care, please contact your GP or doctor or call 000 for emergencies.

Your appointment

• Your appointment will take up to 2 hours. Make sure you allow enough time.
• You will be given an appointment time. Please be on time so you do not lose your booking.
• You must wear a face mask at all times. We will give you a new mask when you arrive.
• When you arrive we will check again to make sure this treatment is suitable. If it is not, we will not go ahead with this treatment.
• This treatment must be given within 5 days of becoming infected. Because of high demand, we may not be able to reschedule you in time if you postpone or cancel your appointment.

Once you leave the clinic

• When your treatment and monitoring are over, you will be discharged to complete your isolation period as directed by the Department of Health.
• If you are worried or have any questions, please contact:
  • the team who are providing your COVID-19 care (GP, doctor or local COVID Positive Care Pathway) or
  • call the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 675 398.

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Referral information for health professionals

Information for GPs

We are making changes to our Early COVID-19 Therapies Clinic service provision and referral process. From Friday July 1, we will no longer be taking GP referrals or self-referrals into our clinic.

We are doing this to ensure the clinic continue to provide optimal care to patients on our Medium and High Risk COVID-19 Pathways, and the provision of intravenous early COVID-19 therapies to appropriate patients.

Going forward, only Monash Health physicians/registrars and our Emergency Departments can refer patients for Remdesivir to the HITH Satellite Clinic at 89-91 Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena.

Processes and pathways are still in place to support your patients.

• Information regarding eligibility criteria, advice for patients and prescribing oral therapies is available from the Alfred Hospital Statewide Pharmacy Hotline: 8290 3801
• For patients who may need IV therapies, please call the hotline, and they will contact us (Monash Health) to assess and book in your patient.

Referral for Remdesivir

Doctors from Monash Health (and our Monash Health Emergency Department) can refer patients directly for treatment with IV Remdesivir over three days.

To be treated with IV Remdesivir through our Hospital in the Home (HiTH) service, patients must:

• Live in Monash Health Catchment area
• Be a patient of a Monash Health Clinic (eg transplant or haematology/oncology)
• Have no history of Chronic Liver Disease or Cirrhosis
• Have an eGFR >30 or on dialysis
• Have a consent and treatment plan documented in SMR
• Be ambulant and continent
• Not live in an aged care facility

Please assess patients against the National Stockpile Criteria.

Please note: there will be no further medical review of the patients after the referral has been received. The referring clinician is responsible for ensuring that the patient cannot have Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir therapies and that Remdesivir is not contraindicated.

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