This handout file photo provided on November 16, 2021, courtesy of Pfizer shows the making of its experimental Covid-19 antiviral pills, Paxlovid, in Freiburg, Germany. – The US Food and Drug Administration on December 22, 2021, authorized a Pfizer’s Covid pill for high-risk people aged 12 and over, a major milestone in the pandemic that will allow millions to access the treatment.
“Today’s action is a testament to the power of science and the result of American innovation and ingenuity,” President Joe Biden said in a statement, promising to invoke a law that would help Pfizer ramp up production quickly. But pills that are available at pharmacies are likely to be much easier to access than synthetic antibody treatments, which require infusions administered by drip at hospitals or specialized centers.
He has previously repeated that the country is “ready” to handle a potential rise in hospitalizations and that those who are vaccinated need not “panic.” But two of his steps to combat the pandemic — a nationwide vaccine requirement for large employers and a vaccine mandate for health care workers — will soon be put to the test, as the US Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will hold a special hearing on January 7 to consider challenges to those policies.
About 150,000 Americans are getting infected every day, with 7,800 being hospitalized and 1,200 dying, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.