UPMC Shadyside is among 21 hospitals that will receive shipments of remdesivir, the antiviral medication that FDA officials have authorized for emergency use to treat covid-19 patients.

The Department of Health distributed the second shipment of the investigative antiviral medication on Friday: 1,548 doses of medication were sent to 21 hospitals, and a second shipment of 6,390 doses will be distributed to 58 hospitals on Monday. The medication was sent to the department by the federal government earlier in the day.

“The department is working to give our hospitals every opportunity to treat patients with covid-19,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “It is important to note that there is limited information on the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to treat people in the hospital with covid-19. However, it was shown in a clinical trial to shorten the recovery time in some people, which is why the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the medication for treatment.”

Remdesivir is given to a patient through an IV once per day for up to 10 days, depending on how critically ill the patient is.

According to the FDA, remdesivir may help decrease the amount of coronavirus in the patient’s body, which may help them get better faster.

The majority of hospitals receiving vials of the medication are on the eastern side of the state, where the highest number of covid-19 cases is concentrated. UPMC Shadyside and UPMC Altoona the only hospitals west of Harrisburg to receive shipments Friday. UPMC Presbyterian was among the hospitals to receive the state’s first shipment, earlier this week.

An additional 12 counties will move into the state’s tiered “yellow phase” next week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday afternoon.

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