Oral COVID-19 Treatment 'Paxlovid'... Increases Prevention of Severe Cases by 43% and Deaths by 33%

A study on the preventive effects of oral COVID-19 treatments administered to prevent the worsening of symptoms in COVID-19 patients has been published in the international academic journal JKMS (Journal of Korean Medical Science).

This study, conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, analyzed the preventive effects against severe illness and death in approximately 1.93 million confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 12 and older infected between July and November of last year, comparing the group taking the oral COVID-19 treatment 'Paxlovid' and the group not taking it.

According to the study, the Paxlovid group showed 43% and 33% higher preventive effects against severe illness and death, respectively, compared to the non-treatment group. Additionally, among COVID-19 patients who had never been vaccinated, the Paxlovid group exhibited 61% and 54% greater preventive effects against severe illness and death, respectively, compared to the non-treatment group.

The KDCA explained, "This study is the first in Korea to analyze the effects of oral COVID-19 treatments using large-scale real-world clinical data, and it has been academically recognized as scientific evidence of the effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments."

Jiyoungmi, Director of the KDCA, urged, "Medical staff should actively prescribe treatments early after diagnosis to prevent severe illness and death among patients in nursing hospitals and facilities, as well as those aged 60 and older."

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