Outbreak of Covid 19 Delta: A New Pfizer Antiviral Drug “Great Advance” in the Fight against Outbreak

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New drugs to treat high-risk Covid-19 patients are a “big step forward” in the fight against pandemics, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

But experts say the “competition has begun” for regulator Medsafe to approve new antivirals from Pfizer with others before the delta outbreak actually dominates the country. I’m warning you.

Pharmac, the government’s drug purchasing agency, has secured 60,000 doses of medicines, known abroad as Paxlovid.

Oral drug trials are very promising, with a 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization in adults with mild to moderate Covid-19 who are at high risk of developing severe illness.

However, this was when the pill was given within 3 days of someone showing symptoms.

Professor Kurt Krause, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Otago, said this meant that the country needed to “enhance the game” with respect to testing and rapid recovery of results, such as performing rapid antigen testing. ..

This drug is added to five other Pharmac-sponsored drugs, including baricitinib, ronapreb, remdesivir, tocilizumab, and molnupiravir.

Klaus said Pharmac made a “good choice”, but the key now is to approve them here.

For example, the supply of Ronapreb was secured in September and Molnupiravir was secured in October, but it was not yet approved by Medsafe.

“This is an important process and Medsafe needs to be really comfortable,” Krause said.

“I think we made the right choice, but we are now in a bit of competition before Covid spreads across the country.

“Still, the main treatment we receive is public health measures such as increasing social distance from vaccines.”

People in the early stages of infection should be treated with antivirals twice daily for 5 days. Mr Klaus said this meant that New Zealand needed to secure more supplies. The United States has secured 10 million doses.

Pfizer’s antivirals will be delivered to New Zealand in April after being approved by MedSafe.

The money for all six drugs comes from the government’s Covid-19 fund.

In addition to vaccination, treatment in New Zealand hospitals has already reduced the likelihood that people will need ICU care, reducing the ICU rate in Auckland to 3% of hospitalizations, according to Ardan. It decreased from 5.7% of.

Regarding vaccination predictions, for the next traffic light system review next Monday, Ardan said 88 percent of the eligible population had been fully vaccinated.

The country was predicted to reach twice the dose of 90 percent by December 14th or 15th.

Auckland’s DHB was also expected to do so, in line with the date the Auckland border was due to open.

Of the 135 new cases on Monday, 125 were in Auckland, 8 in Waikato, and 2 in Canterbury. In Nelson-Marlboro, there were four new cases included in the Tuesday total.

Tairāwhiti also had positive wastewater results, prompting locals to be tested for any symptoms.

76 people were hospitalized for the virus, including 7 in the ICU or HDU.

Meanwhile, the government’s pandemic response to Maori is in the limelight.

Maori people with a younger population have been at a disadvantage due to the deployment of vaccines that prioritize the elderly.

Since its deployment to all eligible age groups on September 1, Maori have been vaccinated at twice the Parkeha rate, but about 16 percent more than the overall rate of the second vaccination. The point is late.

On Monday, the Waitangi Court began hearing from Maori leaders, including the Maori Council of New Zealand, about whether the government’s Covid response respected the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Court panel members hear from several submitters about how Maori donors felt that consultation with the crown was merely verbal, and how age-based developments were statistically indisputable. rice field Biased against MaoriAnd the government funding for the “Maori for Maori” vaccine program was too little and too late.

The submitter also warns that Maori children and their families will be disproportionately burdened if approved, if the deployment of the vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 reflects the deployment of adults. Did.

On Monday, the High Court again ruled against the Ministry of Health and ordered it to reconsider its decision to withhold Maori vaccination data from the Fanauora Commission body.