KUALA LUMPUR: Antiviral Paxlovid medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 patient has been used by the Ministry of Health (MOH) since 15th April and until 9th May 2022 and 173 patients have been fully recovered without any side effects.
Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin said, the Paxlovid medicine has been supplied for the treatment of COVID-19 patients at 512 COVID-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) in Health Clinics and 78 government hospitals nationwide.
“Currently as a priority, the treatment using Paxlovid is offered to the high risk COVID-19 groups that are experiencing light until moderate symptoms.
“The main criteria of the COVID-19 patients to be treated using Paxlovid includes those aged 18 and above; COVID-19 infections category 2 and 3 and no oxygen therapy is required, high risk groups infected by COVID-19 covering diabetics patient, high-blood pressure patient, kidney problem patient, asthmatic/chronic lungs, heart and cancer patient,” Khairy said in a statement.
Khairy added, this medicine should be given immediately when the symptoms started within five days for optimum effectiveness and to reduce the infection complication risks.
The Minister said, the COVID-19 patients in the group stated above should be present at the CAC in the Health Clinic and selected government hospitals to evaluate its suitability before the Paxlovid treatment could be used.
On another development, the Technical Working Committee (TWC) of MOH has proposed that the booster dose could be given to 1) volunteering individual aged 60 and above within four till six months after the first dose 2) individual aged 18 until 59 and having chronic clinical illness (such as chronic heart , lungs, kidney, liver and others) could be offered the second booster dose within four until six months after receiving the first dose and after discussing with the registered medical practitioner.
Khairy said, youth aged 12 until 17 who have chronic clinical risk illness (chronic heart , heart patient, lungs, kidney, liver and others) could be offered the first booster dose within four until six months after receiving the primer dose and after discussing with the registered medical practitioner.
“As mentioned before, individuals who have received the complete COVID-19 primer vaccine dose and followed by the first booster dose have proven to get optimum protection against COVID-19 infection and death,” Khairy said. –Malaysia World News
