At New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Toby Philpart and Dr. Dwight Reynolds have been working on a big project.
“You don’t have to die because of COVID,” Philpart told WPTV.
With special permission from the state of Florida, they’re giving away thousands of doses of Paxlovid, which is used to treat COVID during the first five days of symptoms, every Sunday to those who can’t afford the medication.
One dose of Paxlovid typically costs around $1,390 for those without health insurance.
“The major need that we’re trying to address are those in neighborhoods typically, people that look like Pastor Toby and myself, that do not have access to it, do not have vehicles to drive to a doctor’s office or go to a pharmacist to get the medication,” Reynolds said.
WPTVIt’s a message that Dr. Imran Ali, assistant professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, echoes.