Even during vaccination... Americans are scooping up Pfizer pills

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Biden administration in the United States has evaluated Pfizer's COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment as a "game changer" and announced plans to purchase 20 million doses, double the original 10 million. This decision comes as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads, pushing the daily average of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. beyond one million.

Following vaccines, the global race to secure oral antiviral pills is intensifying, prompting calls for the South Korean government to act swiftly. There are concerns that the disparity seen in vaccine access between countries could be repeated.

According to the Associated Press and others, on the 4th (local time), President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting with the COVID-19 response team at the White House and instructed to increase the purchase of Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment, Paxlovid, from 10 million to 20 million doses. He stated, "It will dramatically reduce hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19," and called it a "game-changing game changer that could dramatically reduce the impact of COVID-19."

This decision follows the rapid spread of Omicron within the U.S. According to Johns Hopkins University, as of the previous day, the U.S. recorded 1,082,549 new daily COVID-19 cases. This is the first time globally that a single country has reported over one million new cases in a single day.

Pfizer plans to supply 120 million doses of Paxlovid this year. However, due to the complexity of the production process, full-scale supply is expected only in the second half of the year. Pfizer aims to supply 30 million doses by mid-year.

The South Korean government aims to introduce treatments faster and in larger quantities than any country except the U.S. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the final schedule is being negotiated for Paxlovid to arrive domestically by mid-month. As of the 27th of last month, South Korea has signed purchase contracts for a total of 604,000 doses, including 362,000 doses of Paxlovid and 242,000 doses of the oral antiviral treatment Molnupiravir from the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck (MSD).

However, if the U.S. expands its purchase volume, it could affect additional domestic purchases.

Meanwhile, President Biden expressed concern over the recent spread of Omicron but repeatedly urged people not to panic. He assessed, "You can get COVID-19, but the severity leading to serious illness has decreased." He also urged vaccination, saying, "There is no excuse for the unvaccinated," and "The pandemic among the unvaccinated continues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.