The corona drug Paxlovid from the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has been approved in the United States.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency approval for the antiviral drug in pill form on Wednesday.

The authority spoke of a "big step in the fight against this global pandemic".

The pill was approved for high-risk patients aged twelve and over.

"Today's approval introduces the first treatment for Covid-19 in the form of a pill that is taken orally," said FDA representative Patrizia Cavazzoni. “At a crucial point in the pandemic with the appearance of new variants, this approval brings a new tool to fight Covid-19.” Patients at high risk of a severe course of the disease would henceforth have better access to treatment with an antiviral drug.

Paxlovid lowers risk patients' risk of hospitalization or death by almost 90 percent, according to Pfizer.

The drug reduces the ability of the coronavirus to multiply in the body's cells and thus slows down the further development of the Covid-19 disease caused by the virus.

The new active ingredient is combined with the drug ritonavir, which is already used to treat HIV patients.

500 million rapid corona tests ordered

US President Joe Biden wants to counter the rapid spread of the Omikron variant - without contact restrictions or even lockdowns - with half a billion corona home tests and more vaccinations. In a speech in the White House on Tuesday, Biden announced the order for 500 million rapid corona tests, which are to be distributed to the population free of charge. The President once again appealed to everyone to get vaccinated or boosted - and even took his predecessor Donald Trump as a role model.

The spread of the omicron variant, which is now predominant in the USA, is cause for concern, but not panic.

"We are prepared." The situation is not comparable to March 2020, when the United States was hit with full force by the first corona wave.

More than 200 million people in the country are now fully vaccinated against the virus.

"If you are fully vaccinated, and especially if you have been given a booster, you are highly protected," said the 79-year-old.

"If you are not vaccinated, you are at a higher risk of getting seriously sick with Covid-19, having to go to hospital and even dying." Unvaccinated people therefore have "every reason to worry".

Even Trump was boosted

Biden even cited his predecessor Trump when promoting vaccinations.

The Republican said at an event in Dallas, Texas at the weekend that he had been boosted - and was booed by parts of the audience for it.

"That may be one of the few things he and I can agree on," Biden said, referring to his political rival.

Millions of people in the US do not want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Vaccine skepticism and rejection of vaccinations are particularly widespread among supporters of Trump's conservative Republicans.

So far, only 61.5 percent of the total population has been fully vaccinated.

Biden's appeals fall on deaf ears with many people.

The president has now announced new efforts for more vaccinations.

Among other things, more vaccination centers are to be set up in regions where there is a high demand for booster vaccinations.

Biden also mobilizes a thousand doctors, paramedics and nurses from the armed forces to support hospitals that are reaching their limits.

Rapid tests have so far been less common in the USA

The 500 million home tests ordered are to be delivered from January.

Currently, long queues form before the Christmas holidays at test centers in many cities.

Free rapid tests have so far been much less widespread in the USA than, for example, in Germany.

Omikron has rapidly become the predominant variant in the USA.

According to the CDC health authority, almost three quarters of the corona cases registered in the past week can be traced back to Omikron.

The new variant was first identified in South Africa in November.

Numerous countries - including the USA - subsequently prohibited entry from several countries in southern Africa.

In response to a journalist's question, Biden said he was considering lifting this ban.

"I'll talk to my team about it in the coming days."

In the USA, more than 808,000 people have died as a result of a corona infection since the pandemic began - the highest number recorded worldwide.