First doses of Paxlovid, Pfizer's new COVID pill, are released to states

A federal agency has released the first allocations of Paxlovid, the new COVID-19 treatment from Pfizer, to states and territories. The federal government has a contract for 10 million courses of the treatment and is providing the medicine free to state and territorial health departments.

The government acknowledges that supplies will be tight to start.

"An initial 65,000 courses of Paxlovid will be made available for shipment to states and territories and will begin arriving at dispensing sites by the end of December," an HHS website says.

Only California, Florida, New York and Texas are receiving more than 3,000 treatment courses. By contrast, Washington, D.C., Alaska and North Dakota will each get only 120 for now. Federally funded health centers that serve low-income patients around the country will get enough Paxlovid for 9,750 patients.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized Paxlovid for emergency use on Wednesday.