Israel to buy tens of thousands of doses of Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill
The pharmaceutical company says the pill slashes the risk of hospitalisation or death from the virus by 89%.
Israel’s government reached an agreement to buy tens of thousands of doses of Pfizer’s experimental new antiviral pill to fight COVID-19.
The pharmaceutical company says the pill slashes the risk of hospitalisation or death from the virus by 89%.
The news was first reported on Saturday by Israel’s Channel 12 news station, according to The Times of Israel.
President Biden has said the U.S. has also secured millions of doses of the Pfizer pill, along with over £745m ($1 bn) in doses of a pill manufactured by the drug company Merck. The pills are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration but could be before the end of 2021.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company is in talks with 90 countries about the drug.
“If the drug is approved for use it will be another significant tool in managing the pandemic, together with vaccines for everyone and accessible tests for everyone, all the time,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet said in a cabinet meeting Nov. 7, The Times of Israel reported.
Pfizer’s pill, called Paxlovid, and Merck’s pill, called Molnupiravir, both work to stop the COVID-19 virus from replicating throughout the body.
The announcement comes days after Israel approved Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Inoculations for children are expected to begin in the next several days.
Israel was among the first countries to purchase Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine late last year.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
