South Korea to deploy Pfizer COVID-19 pills as Omicron wave looms

SEOUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) – South Korea will start treating coronavirus sufferers with Pfizer’s (PFE.N) antiviral capsules on Friday, the primary Asian nation to take action, as concern mounts over the unfold of the extremely contagious Omicron variant.

Referred to as Paxlovid, some 630,000 of the capsules, sufficient for 21,000 individuals, arrived on Thursday to be distributed to 280 pharmacies and 90 residential remedy centres, the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company (KDCA) stated.

“In gentle of Omicron’s a lot greater infectiousness, the treatment ought to play a significant function in restraining the variety of sufferers who would develop important signs even when the pressure is comparatively much less extreme,” Kim Ki-nam, a KDCA official, informed a briefing.

South Korea is the primary nation to roll out Paxlovid in Asia, after authorising it for emergency use in late December.

The treatment will probably be used to deal with greater than 1,000 individuals a day, with precedence teams together with sufferers at excessive danger of extreme sickness, these aged 65 or older and people with decreased immunity, the KDCA stated.

Every affected person was suggested to take three capsules at a time twice a day for 5 days, and one other batch for 10,000 individuals, or 300,000 capsules, are anticipated to reach later within the month.

Paxlovid was practically 90% efficient in stopping hospitalisations and deaths, and information steered it retains its effectiveness towards Omicron, Pfizer has stated. read more

South Korea has been exploring additional pharmaceutical tools to move off a surge of infections attributable to the Omicron variant. It accepted the use of Novavax Inc’s vaccine on Wednesday.

Because the pandemic started, the nation of 52 million individuals has been among the many coronavirus mitigation success tales, with 679,030 instances in all and 6,210 deaths, achieved largely with masks and social distancing.

The KDCA reported one other report for imported COVID-19 instances for Wednesday, at 391, amongst a tally for the day of 4,167 infections.

The variety of South Koreans who examined optimistic after attending a consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas final week rose to 119, together with some Omicron instances, a KDCA official stated.

The Omicron variant makes up a small fraction of its general instances however the share has greater than tripled to about 12.5% over the previous two weeks.

Well being officers have warned it might this month turn out to be dominant, because it has in the US and far of Europe, and each day tallies might soar as much as an unprecedented 20,000 subsequent month.

Kim stated the federal government will announce plans on Friday to minimise Omicron infections and their impression on medical capability, after gauging whether or not to increase social distancing rules, which had been reinstated in mid-December after each day infections hit new highs of practically 8,000.

Almost 90% of South Korean adults have been absolutely vaccinated and 55% have had a booster shot as of Wednesday, KDCA information confirmed.

Reporting by Hyonhee Shin
Modifying by Robert Birsel and Toby Chopra

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.