S. Korea to bring in 100,000 courses of Lagevrio despite concerns over efficacy

어젯밤 9시까지 32만9,105명 확진..머크 먹는치료제 이번 주 도입...효과 떨어진다는데 왜?

We start with the COVID-19 situation here in Korea.
We may see the Omicron wave last longer with more people being infected with something called "stealth Omicron."
For more, we turn to Shin Ye-eun, who is joining us in the studio.
Good morning, Ye-eun.

Good morning.

Ye-eun, start us off with how many new infections we're expecting today.

Sure, Mokyeon.
We're expecting to see the daily tally hover in the 300-thousands... because up to 9pm on Sunday, we've already recorded 329-thousand 1-hundred 5 infections.
This was up by 125-thousand 51 from the same time the day before... which was a Monday.
And on Mondays we usually see figures come down a bit... because fewer tests are done over the weekend.
Also because nowadays more people visit local clinics to do rapid antigen tests... but most hospitals don't operate on the weekend.
Another interpretation we had on Monday's figures... was that we are steadily coming out from the peak of Omicron.
With COVID-19 figures coming back up to the 300-thousands, we will have to see what authorities and health experts have to forecast... as to when Omicron has peaked... and when we will be out of this wave.

We're definitely hearing different opinions on when this wave will end. Another opinion authorities had cast yesterday... was that we are seeing the wave last a bit longer due to something called "Stealth Omicron."

That's right Seung-jae.
While many health experts have been forecasting that the country will pass the peak of Omicron by next week... officials have said that the appearance of stealth Omicron could prolong this wave.
This is mainly because we've been seeing countries once hit with Omicron... like the U.S. or UK... see another surge in infections due to this subvariant.
Take a listen to what the KDCA chief said during Monday's briefing.

"Stealth Omicron is known to be 30% more contagious than the original Omicron strain. It's also responsible for around 60%... or even more COVID cases worldwide. Though this subvariant won't lead to a new wave of the pandemic... we do think it could prolong the current one we're in. So we will keep a close eye on its spread."

Also known as B-A-2....stealth Omicron is reportedly much more contagious than the original strain... and has already taken up more than 41 percent of all locally transmitted cases.
It also took up nearly 57% of all imported cases in the country, as well.
But there's no scientific evidence to suggest the subvariant is any more dangerous than Omicron.
And the most common symptoms of stealth Omicron are dizziness and fatigue... which usually appear two to three days after one is infected.
As its name suggests, stealth Omicron has been difficult to detect with the PCR test kits widely used abroad.
But South Korea has been using its homegrown PCR test kit that can detect all variants from Alpha to Delta... and even all strains of Omicron.

Ye-eun, on Monday, we added the second highest number of deaths in a single day. How are authorities evaluating the risk level of the pandemic, right now? Also, did they introduce any new measures?

For three weeks straight... authorities have evaluated the risk of the pandemic to be at the highest level.
This comes as we're seeing roughly 7 out of 10 ICU beds occupied... a spike in the number of critically ill patients and DEATHS.
In just a week... we've seen the number of critically ill patients go up by roughly 12 percent.
The number of deaths in a week... went up by a whopping 45 percent.
To bring these numbers down... authorities have decided to secure more antiviral pills that are used to treat high-risk groups.
As of now,... only seniors aged 60 and up,... the immunocompromised,... and those aged 40 and over... with underlying conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease... are eligible for Paxlovid.
This is the only antiviral pill that has received the greenlight from Korea's drug regulator.
But, roughly half of all Paxlovid stocks have been used up so far.
That's why the government is planning to take delivery... of some 100-thousand courses of Lagevrio this week.
Lagevrio... also known as Molnupiravir,... is an oral COVID-19 pill manufactured by Merck.
Though the government has already secured deals to receive some 242-thousand courses of Lagevrio...the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has not approved its usage YET... citing its low efficacy.
While Paxlovid was found to prevent deaths and hospitalizations by 90%... Lagevrio only reduced fatal illnesses by 30%.
...

#COVID19 #Coronavirus #SouthKorea

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2022-03-22, 08:00 (KST)