Taiwan has ordered 700,000 units of Pfizer’s anti-viral COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, its health minister said yesterday, amid a steady increase in the number of infections as the government pledges to gradually reopen its borders.
Chen Shih-chung, Health Minister, Taiwan, said the pills ordered would be enough to cover three per cent of Taiwan’s population, with half of them due to arrive in the second quarter this year.
“The medication could prevent serious illness, and is very helpful for overall pandemic prevention,” Chen told reporters.
Since the beginning of this year, Taiwan has reported 3,976 domestic cases, with only 13 people classified as being seriously ill and just two deaths.
The country has maintained mandatory mask wearing and almost 80 per cent of the population have had two vaccine shots, while more than 50 per cent have had three.
Edits by EP News Bureau