Two innovative ways to tackle the coronavirus may soon be made available for Americans.
As hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies prepare to administer Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots, a pill-form of COVID-19 treatment has also been announced.
"This is amazing news," Dezzi Conus, UCSF health chief pharmacy executive, said Friday on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert."
"There’s some good data that we’re seeing and we’re very very hopeful."
UCSF will begin administering COVID-19 booster shots on Monday. Those who meet the criteria: individuals above 65-years-old, anyone with social inequities, those 50 and older who have underlying conditions and anyone 18 and older who lives in a long term care facility are advised to get the booster immediately.
Similar to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, some pharmacies will have walk-ins available for people to receive the booster while others will take appointments. Within a few weeks, the shot is expected to reach its full efficacy. However, Conus noted that scientists do not yet know how long the booster will last.
As Americans prepare for a third jab, the pill, which was introduced by drugmaker Merck on Friday, has generated a storm of questions regarding an oral or nasal version of the vaccine. "I know there are thoughts of that," Conus said. "It’s not as easy to do in a pill form as it is in an injection, but if we’re patient, at some point I think there will be different forms of the vaccine as nasal or oral."
Related
