Taiwan has sufficient stock of antiviral drugs for treating COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said yesterday in response to concerns about a drug shortage given the increasing number of local COVID-19 infections.
The CDC on Tuesday said that the nation is seeing another COVID-19 outbreak, with hospitalized cases increasing by 25 percent in the previous week, and that many indicators show that the number of cases is rising, which is predicted to last until August or September.
The centers also said that imported and local cases of the more immune-evasive KP.2 and KP.3 subvariants, descendants of the JN.1 subvariant, have been increasing in the past few weeks, which might be a reason for the increase in cases.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Department of Health
However, unverified reports have been spreading that some healthcare practitioners say that the nation is facing a wide shortage of Molnupiravir, an oral antiviral capsule for treating mild to moderate COVID-19, and that the distribution of Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill also for treating mild to moderate COVID-19, is too slow.
Tseng said that there are still sufficient stocks of Molnupiravir and Paxlovid to last for several months.
She added that experts of the CDC’s infectious disease prevention advisory committee have cited clinical evidence-based studies and clinical practice guidelines of other countries that show that Paxlovid is more effective in clearing the virus than Molnupiravir.
Therefore, Molnupiravir is recommended for “conditional use,” including for people who have conditions which mean they cannot take Paxlovid, Tseng said, adding there is a sufficient supply of the antiviral drug.
Taipei Medical University Hospital Division of Thoracic Medicine attending physician Chou Pai-chien (周百謙) said Molnupiravir is rarely prescribed at the hospital, so it would not be a big problem even if there were a shortage.
However, he said that what is more concerning is the removal of all mask mandates and sudden temperature changes, which can irritate and damage the upper airways, increasing the risk of speeding viral replication, so he still encourages members of high-risk groups to wear a mask when taking public transportation and practice good respiratory hygiene.
Taiwan Medical Association chairman Chou Ching-ming (周慶明) said that most COVID-19 patients in previous months only had mild cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose or cough, but recently many have experienced a fever or muscle soreness, and people of all ages are at risk of infection.
He said the association is working with the CDC to dispatch 3 million at-home COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits to about 2,000 clinics across the nation, which are planned to become available to the public next month.
Additional reporting by CNA
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