Thailand orders 200,000 courses of a revolutionary drug to treat COVID-19 developed by scientists at US pharmaceutical giant Merck. The new treatment, taken as tablets for 5 days, consists of 40 doses that help neutralize the genetic code of the virus in the body.
Thailand has announced an advance order for 200,000 courses of a breakthrough new drug capable of treating the COVID-19 virus, as the country’s top virologist, Dr Yong Poovorawan, warned that the goal now to fight the virus is to live with it to term as an endemic disease and urged all people living in Thailand to get vaccinated to boost their immunity, as herd immunity to the disease is not possible.
The main Thai virologist has come to encourage all people living in Thailand who have not yet been vaccinated to do so in order to strengthen their immunity against the COVID-19 virus. He concluded that collective immunity against her is not achievable.
Dr Yong Poovorawan from the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University pointed out that Singapore with an 80% vaccination rate and the current need for booster vaccines in Israel, a country that has been a pioneer in vaccination mass of its population, evidence to prove the point.
Collective immunity is not possible with the current virus, we must learn to live with it like an endemic disease
He explained that while vaccines for certain diseases such as measles help protect the unvaccinated from infection with a “herd immunity effect”, this was not the case with the current virus.
Dr Yong’s clear statement comes after a report from the UK in recent weeks suggested some leading scientists believed herd immunity was at stake and linked to a reduction in infections recorded in late September.
Virus game over for Thailand in sight as herd immunity credited with falling UK infection rates
Thailand’s leading virologist believes living with COVID-19 as an endemic disease should now be the goal.
For people already infected or vaccinated, the risks of more serious symptoms are significantly reduced
He explained that once a person has already been infected with the disease or vaccinated, the chances of developing severe symptoms are greatly reduced.
In this way, he predicted that COVID-19 will eventually turn into a normal respiratory illness that will become endemic among the population, meaning it is both predictable and manageable.
“Forget about herd immunity because it won’t work with COVID-19,†Dr Yong said. “We will have to live with the virus as we have lived with other viruses and this disease can occur in young children, but with mild symptoms. We can never get rid of it.
Thailand orders 200,000 doses of breakthrough COVID-19 treatment from US company
It comes as Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences announced an advance order for 200,000 doses of a breakthrough new treatment for COVID-19 made by US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.
The treatment named Molnupiravir has caused a stir around the world and works by introducing errors into the genetic code of COVID-19 in the body.
Reports from the United States suggest that US Food and Drug Administration approval is imminent and that the company plans to produce 10 million doses of the new drug by the end of this year.
Molnupiravir is an oral medicine delivered as a tablet.
A new drug, a five-day course, will arrive in Thailand in November and will be available once approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration.
This week, Mr. Somsak Akksilp of the Department of Medical Sciences confirmed that the drug should be available in Thailand by November, but would only be used on patients once approved by the US and Thai Food and Drug agencies. Administration.
Other countries interested in the breakthrough drug include Australia, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan. The Philippines reportedly hired Merck to conduct a nationwide trial of the drug in order to obtain a treatment volume discount.
This week, the director general of the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, said that although no drug has been shown to be fully effective against a disease, it is hoped that the administration of this new treatment in the early stages of COVID-19 will prove to be effective.
Mr Somsak declined to give information on the cost of the drug in Thailand, but confirmed reports from the US suggest that the US government pays Merck & Co $ 700 for each 5-day treatment cycle that involves administration. of 40 doses of the drug or pills.
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