FDA Authorized Pfizer Pill is ‘Encouraging but Prevention is Key’ Against COVID-19

A new way to help combat COVID-19 has been created and it comes in a form of a pill. Yesterday, the FDA authorized the first pill in the U.S. to treat the effects of COVID-19 from home. According to reported studies, the Pfizer-made anti-viral pills are 89% effective at preventing serious illness or hospitalization when given to people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 within three days of symptoms. In order to get this pill, they must be prescribed by a doctor and patients must take multiple pills for five days.

While this is exciting news in COVID-19, local doctors are still reminding us that prevention is key. Dr. Emil Lesho, Infectious Disease Specialist with Rochester Regional Health stated: “The most important thing in my mind is that it’s still no substitute for prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…Even though this pill is shown to reduce hospitalizations and death and viral load, which is a good thing for contagiousness, you still get a mild infection or even a moderate infection. We know in previous cases that mild and moderate infection can result in long COVID or prolonged side effects.”

Source: 13 WHAM