Covid wave prompts Beijing to approve distribution of Pfizer antiviral medication
Paxlovid to be available in retail pharmacies in Beijing
After the unprecedented wave of coronavirus hit China, Beijing has approved the offline distribution of Paxlovid, a COVID-19 medicine by Pfizer. It will be available at community health centres, and local doctors will assist in training residents on how to use it.
China has been struggling with the current wave due to the rapid growth in coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, China's National Health Commission has stopped publishing the daily Covid data, reported China News Service.
However, the arrival date of the medicines is not known yet.
Paxlovid, a medicine hard to access due to high demand, is the only foreign medicine authorised by China's healthcare body for national use. A few weeks ago, a Chinese healthcare app listed it online. However, the medication sold out only within a few hours of listing. It will be Paxlovid's first retail sale in China.
Apart from Paxlovid, China's healthcare authority has also approved Azvudine by Genuine Biotech.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
China's abrupt abandonment of its 'zero-Covid' policy has caused a heavy social and economic toll on the nation. Panicky Chinese residents are stocking fever and cold medicines, leading to a medicine shortage in retail pharmacies.
Watch|China: No Covid data to be available from December 25th
President Xi Jinping, in one of his first public statements on the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioned that the country requires a more focused method to protect its citizens.
Beijing, the capital city of China, has one of the best healthcare facilities in the country. But the abrupt ease of the zero-Covid policy and sudden surge in cases has become a problem despite the available resources.
China has intercepted reporting asymptomatic tests and allowed citizens to use antigen tests at home. The rural parts of China are also at risk as migrant workers in big cities will return to their hometowns during Lunar New Year in January 2023. Lack of medical resources and low vaccination rates have the potential to become reasons behind the spread of coronavirus in rural China.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE