<Anchor>
Pfizer's edible corona treatment, Paxrovid, arrived in Korea yesterday (13th). It will be shipped nationwide from today, and administration will start as early as today, depending on the region.
Reporter Han Seong-hee reports.
<Reporter>
As the transport plane enters Incheon International Airport and the cargo compartment opens, an edible medicine wrapped in silver foil wrapper is revealed.
This is the first supply of 21,000 out of the 762,000 Pax Lovid that the government has contracted with Pfizer.
The treatment was moved from Incheon Airport to the logistics center in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, and will be delivered to 280 pharmacies and 89 living treatment centers nationwide today and tomorrow.
It is intended for people with weakened immunity, such as the elderly 65 years of age or older or organ transplant patients, and should only be administered within 5 days of symptom onset.
Looking at the first delivery volume for some regions, Seoul has secured a total of 3,146 people, including 1,994 at-home therapists and 1,152 living treatment centers, and Busan is expected to supply 1,73.
When the doctor determines who is to be administered, the prescription is delivered to the pharmacy in charge, and then the medicine is delivered from the pharmacy to the home of the confirmed patient through a public health center, a family representative, or a delivery company.
It should be taken three tablets at a time, twice a day for five days at an interval of 12 hours.
[Jin Kwak / Head of Patient Management Team, Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters: Considering that the Omicron mutation has a much higher transmission power than before, it is sufficient to suppress the number of patients who are progressively becoming severe. It will make sense…
.]
Adverse reactions may include mild taste abnormalities, diarrhea, increased blood pressure, muscle pain, etc. The medical staff in charge monitors the daily intake of treatment and whether there are any adverse reactions, and provides face-to-face treatment if necessary.
The quarantine authorities are planning to bring in an additional 10,000 people at the end of this month.
As the supply and demand increases, we plan to gradually expand the drug target.