Health Minister Khairy said the Department of Health began using the antiviral drug Paxlovid as a treatment for high-risk patients.
He said the antiviral drug is intended to treat patients and not a substitute for vaccines, adding that the Ministry of Health will purchase more of the drug.
Khairy said in a video posted on Twitter today that authorities now allow online consultations to supervise professional rapid antigen test (RTK-Ag) screenings to facilitate such screenings by the public.
“If you need professional RTK screening, they can do it through live video, for example, you can get the screening results by email. Doctors can provide this service to the public.”
As for teens with weakened or immunocompromised immune systems, Kelly said boosters are now also available for this group to stay safe.
Two new oral drugs for Covid-19 come out in autumn 2021
The US Merck (Merck, also known as Merck, MSD) company's oral capsule for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia, Molnupiravir , was approved for emergency use in the UK in early November. The UK's move is the world's first, and Merck's new drug has come out on top in the new crown oral drug research and development competition. Merck said clinical trial results showed the drug could cut the risk of hospitalization or death in infected people by about half.
Pfizer (Pfizer) in the United States immediately released news, and the new crown oral capsule Paxlovid was unveiled. Pfizer said more than 1,000 people participated in the Phase 2/3 clinical trial of the drug, and the results showed that it could reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 85% – 89%. An application for authorization to use this drug has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Data on both oral drugs have not yet been published in peer-reviewed professional journals.
Various vaccines are available globally to prevent infection, but treatment options for people infected with the new coronavirus are limited. Patients who currently do not have to be hospitalized but are at higher risk of worsening can be treated with antiviral drugs, but must be given intravenously in a hospital or clinic.
