The pills — and other COVID-19 drugs, for that matter — are being carefully rationed, reserved for the highest-risk patients.
WASHINGTON — Two brand-new COVID-19 pills that were supposed to be an important weapon against the pandemic in the U.S. are in short supply and have played little role in the fight against the omicron wave of infections.
“January is going to be a terrible month with a million cases a day,” said University of North Carolina virologist Dr. Myron Cohen. “Most people will do perfectly well, but we have to select out the people who won’t and give them the drugs we have available.” Pfizer said it is adding capacity: “We expect to use our strong manufacturing capabilities and our extensive supplier network to continue to improve output rapidly.”
Since last month, the government has sent states enough Pfizer pills to treat 164,000 people, allocating them by population. That approach is coming under fire from some states with heavier caseloads. Despite the strict prescribing guidelines, some patients have been able to get the pills through luck and persistence.
At the same time, there is a shortage of antibody medications, the infused or injected drugs that can head off death and hospitalization. Only one of them, from GlaxoSmithKline, appears effective against omicron, and it, too, is being rationed.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Questions surround the COVID-19 omicron variant's relationship with long-haul COVIDLong-haul COVID is described as having symptoms more than months after an initial infection.
Lire la suite »
Fact check: Right-wing figures falsely describe CDC director's comments about Covid-19 deathsProminent right-wing figures have been falsely describing a comment the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made last week about Covid-19 deaths -- taking Dr. Rochelle Walensky out of context to wrongly claim she had delivered a dramatic new admission about the 840,000-plus Americans who have died of the virus.
Lire la suite »
Chicago Teachers Union votes to continue in-person learning with Covid-19 measuresThe roughly 25,000 rank-and-file members of the Chicago Teachers Union narrowly voted in favor of the safety agreement struck between the union and the district to return to class in person, a union official has confirmed
Lire la suite »
COVID-19 live updates: 91% less risk of death with omicron: StudyAs the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 842,000 Americans.
Lire la suite »
Not enough Canadian children are getting COVID-19 jabs, health systems at risk - TrudeauNot enough Canadian children are being vaccinated against COVID-19 at a time when the Omicron variant threatens to swamp healthcare systems, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday.
Lire la suite »