Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box, Albert pointed out that the oral medication which is currently being designated as antiviral candidate PF-07321332 could be used at home. This is unlike the traditional vaccine injection which needs to be administered at a hospital or a specially designated location. Pfizer has previously noted that the new oral antiviral medication is essentially a protease inhibitor which is a type of drug that has also been used to treat HIV and hepatitis C virus. Designed to stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating itself, research has shown that the new medication not only has the potential to be used as COVID-19 treatment but also for future coronaviruses. When asked whether the Malaysian government will procure the new COVID-19 antiviral pill from Pfizer, Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who is the coordinator of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme said during the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force’s media session yesterday that the government is constantly evaluating all new vaccine candidates. But for now, Malaysia already has enough vaccine to cover 110% of its population according to the minister. (Source: CNBC’s Squawk Box / Twitter, Pfizer, Astro Awani / YouTube. Images: Pfizer [1][2].)
