Gov't to lower age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60: PM
SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- The government will lower the age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 65 to 60 to better contain the spread of the omicron variant, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday.
Kim announced the measure during a COVID-19 response meeting held a day after President Moon Jae-in said omicron has become the dominant strain in the country.
The first batch of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 treatment pills arrived in the country last week to be administered first to those with compromised immune systems and those aged 65 and above.
A pharmacist checks boxes containing Paxlovid, COVID-19 treatment pills developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., at a drugstore in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2022, as South Korea began to prescribe and administer COVID-19 treatment pills the same day, starting with patients with a weak immune system and those over the age of 65. (Yonhap)
hague@yna.co.kr
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