PFIZER’S ORAL PILLS TO ARRIVE

[Anchor Lead]

Pfizer’s oral medication for COVID-19 will arrive in Korea Thursday. The antiviral pills are expected to curb the virus spread and sharply reduce the rate of patients with mild symptoms becoming seriously ill.

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The first batch of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pills will arrive at Incheon Airport at around Thursday noon. The pills could be a game changer in the outbreak as they are effective and easy to consume. The government has secured enough pills for 762-thousand people so far. A batch to treat 20-thousand people will be the first to arrive. The pills will first be sent to a logistics center in Ochang, Chungcheongbukdo Province. From there, they will be distributed to around 90 COVID-19 treatment centers and 280 pharmacies nationwide.

[Soundbite] Lee Gwang-min(Korean Pharmaceutical Association) : "We are putting together guidelines and discussing how to deliver the pills to at-home patients."

The oral drug is expected to help contain the virus and drastically reduce hospitalizations and critical cases. The question is, with spiking global demand, how Korea will secure enough supply and establish a swift prescription and delivery system. Pfizer pills are effective when they’re consumed within five days of displaying symptoms. Therefore it’s important to quickly sort out high-risk groups among existing patients and administer the drug in a timely manner.

[Soundbite] Prof. Paik Soon-young(Catholic University of Korea) : "We need to figure out the order of priority among recipients and how to deliver them to high-risk groups."

Some side effects have been reported such as high blood pressure and taste disorder. Therefore patients should be closely monitored after being given the pills to see if they show abnormal reactions.