【Medical Companion Travel】Aomi Kerong is spreading at an unprecedented speed, and Pfizer's new oral drug is effective for it!

The new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), referred to as "new crown pneumonia", has seriously endangered human health and life safety since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. In particular, its "fickleness" has brought us a huge threat, and every mutation has accelerated the pace of the spread of the epidemic. At present, the mutant strain Omicron (English name: B.1.1.529) is spreading at an unprecedented rate, and Pfizer announced that its new coronavirus oral drug Paxlovid is effective against the Omilkeron variant.

The current state of the spread of Omikeron

On 14 December 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) held a press conference on the COVID-19 pandemic, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Omilon is spreading faster than any of the previous variants. At present, 77 countries and regions have reported the Omikejong strain, and although some countries and regions have not yet detected the strain, it is likely to have spread to most countries and regions around the world - we underestimate the harm of the Omikeron strain.

Although the symptoms of infection with the Omiljung variant are not severe, a large number of infections can place an unbearable burden on health systems around the world. Tedros stressed that the new crown vaccine alone cannot completely protect people from TheOmilon infection, and wearing masks and maintaining social distancing remain the top priorities in epidemic prevention and control.

Pfizer's oral drug for COVID-19, Paxlovid

On the 14th, the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer released the test data of the new crown pneumonia oral drug Paxlovid, which Pfizer said could reduce the admission and mortality rate of adult patients in the high-risk group by 89%, and was effective against the new variant virus Omilon.

The study enrolled more than 2,200 high-risk individuals who were not vaccinated against COVID-19, taking the drug every 12 hours, and found that if patients took Paxlovid within three days of symptoms, they reduced hospital admission or mortality by 89% and Paxlovid within five days of symptom onset.

By day 28 of the trial, 0.7% (5/697) of patients in the Paxlovid group were hospitalized, while 6.5% (44/682) of patients in the placebo group were hospitalized. Among all those who took paxlovid oral medicine, there were no deaths, compared with 12 deaths in the control group that did not take this oral drug.

Omikejon is threatening, what should we do?

Wearing a mask is still an effective way to prevent the spread of the virus, and it also applies to the Omi kerong variant. Even if covid-19 vaccinations and boosters have been given, masks must be worn in indoor public places, public transport, and other crowded places. In addition, wash your hands frequently and ventilate indoors.

Do a good job of personal health monitoring. If symptoms similar to new crown pneumonia appear, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc., you should monitor your body temperature in time and take the initiative to seek medical attention.

Reduce non-essential entry and exit. In a short period of time, many countries and regions have reported imports of the Aumechjong variant, and the current global understanding of the variant is still limited, so it is necessary to minimize travel to high-risk areas and strengthen personal protection during travel to reduce the chance of infection with the Aumi kerong strain.

Reduce unnecessary entry and exit. Imports of the Aumi kerong variant have been reported in 77 countries and territories, and our knowledge of the variant remains limited, so travel to high-risk areas should be reduced, personal protection during travel should be strengthened, and the chance of contracting the Aumi kerong variant should be reduced.