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Forum nameGeneral Discussion
Topic subject12/23/2021
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=13448755&mesg_id=13450533
13450533, 12/23/2021
Posted by handle, Thu Dec-23-21 10:05 AM
F.D.A. Clears Pfizer’s Covid Pill for High-Risk Patients 12 and Older

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/health/pfizer-covid-pill-fda-paxlovid.html

Pfizer’s drug reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 88 percent when given to high-risk unvaccinated adults within five days of the start of their symptoms.

Paxlovid appears to be substantially more effective than a similar antiviral pill from Merck, known as molnupiravir, that is still awaiting authorization by the F.D.A. In a clinical trial, Merck’s drug reduced risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients by 30 percent.

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Omicron sweeping through California with staggering speed, raising alarm and questions

https://www.bakersfield.com/ap/national/omicron-sweeping-through-california-with-staggering-speed-raising-alarm-and-questions/article_96b79bc3-8e1c-5d3e-8573-927f607c5f06.html

Omicron is expected to move through the population rapidly, at a rate some experts have described as unprecedented on a global scale. “The timeline for omicron spread is days, not weeks, as it was for delta,” said San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax. Still, he said, “it’s not a time to panic, but a time to be vigilant.”

A highly influential COVID-19 forecast is projecting that the omicron surge may result in as many as 400,000 new coronavirus cases a day across the nation — significantly higher than last winter’s record of 250,000 cases a day.

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects the omicron surge will continue rising swiftly through December and into January, potentially peaking later next month or in early February. Despite the increase in cases, predictions indicate there will be fewer daily deaths than during last winter’s devastating peak.

The U.S. is reporting an average of more than 161,000 new coronavirus cases a day, approaching the peak of the summer delta wave, which reached 164,000 new daily cases.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations during this winter’s peak could be slightly higher than last year, the forecast says.