48,000 Paxlovid antiviral pills for COVID-19 treatment arrive today - Health D-G

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the procurement of the oral drug, which was recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 patients aged 18 and above who did not require oxygen therapy but were at high risk of manifesting severe symptoms, arrived at Pharmaniaga Logistic Sdn Bhd today.

On his Twitter account, he wrote that the antiviral drug is not intended to be used as a substitute for COVID-19 vaccination or a substitute for public health measures to prevent COVID-19 infection.

"Paxlovid is another weapon against COVID-19, which is an antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19. It is given immediately after being detected positive for COVID-19 and within five days symptoms onset, for optimal effectiveness," he said.

On March 5, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was reported as saying that a total of 11,000 high-risk patients would receive the first batch of the antiviral drug.