WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden s administration is taking steps to expand availability of the life-saving COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid , seeking to reassure doctors that there is ample supply for people at high risk of severe illness or death from the virus.

Paxlovid, produced by Pfizer, was first approved in December . Supply of the regimen was initially very limited, but COVID-19 cases across the country have fallen and manufacturing has increased. The White House is now moving to raise awareness of the pill and taking steps to make it easier to access.

The White House said Tuesday it is stepping up outreach to doctors, letting them know they shouldnt think twice about prescribing the pill to eligible patients. Also, the drug will now be distributed directly to pharmacies, in addition to existing distribution channels run by states. That is expected to boost the number of sites from 20,000 to more than 30,000 next week and eventually to 40,000 locations.

The administration used the pharmacy channel to boost availability of COVID-19 vaccines more than a year ago.

Paxlovid will be widely available everywhere in America, said Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator. The drug and antivirals like it are the key essential tools that were going to need to get through the rest of this pandemic, he said.