“Early treatment depends on early testing, which means that people need to have access to reliable testing right after they start developing symptoms,” said Leana Wen, an emergency physician and a professor at George Washington University.

“The test has to come back ideally the same day, and there needs to be clear guidelines about what tests are acceptable.”

Once someone tests positive, they need to get a prescription for an antiviral from a provider.

Some providers aren’t yet writing prescriptions for the antivirals, Wen said, and many patients don’t know where to go to get a prescription.

And finally, once a patient has a prescription, they have to find the pills themselves, which are in short supply around the country. GoodRx recently launched a website that tracks antiviral availability.