German pharmaceutical company Merck, and US-based Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced this week promising results from the second phase trials of of an experimental antiviral treatment for COVID-19, called molnupiravir.
The studies found that using molnupiravir achieved a faster decrease in the rate of coronavirus infection among adults, reducing the viral load after five days of treatment.
Earlier this year, Merck had stopped developing two COVID-19 vaccines and announced its transition to the manufacture of an oral anti-viral drug taken orally.
Locally, Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed announced, during a press conference on Monday, that 400,000 people from priority groups in Egypt have registered on the ministry’s website to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
The website gives priority automatically based on age, the presence of chronic illness, and health status.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
