
Hong Kong gov't to stop providing free Covid-19 antiviral pills to private doctors from July 29
Free Covid-19 antiviral pills will only be provided at private clinics or hospitals on or before July 28, the government said on Thursday.
'COVID-19 has become a common respiratory viral infection. For the general public, symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infections are generally mild,' the government said.
With Covid-19 currently managed as an upper respiratory tract illness in Hong Kong, the need for the free antiviral pills has declined, it also said.
Private doctors should contact drug companies if they intend to provide patients with such pills, it added. Public hospitals will continue to prescribe Covid-19 antiviral drugs to patients with clinical needs.
HK$6,000 treatment
Hong Kong started supplying private doctors with two Covid-19 oral drugs, namely Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, free of charge in early 2022.
As of June 30, private doctors have prescribed 200,000 treatment courses to eligible Covid-19 confirmed patients for free, the government said on Thursday.
Each treatment course using antiviral pills costs over HK$6,000.
Meanwhile, the level of Covid-19 activity in Hong Kong reached its peak in mid-May following a surge in April, the government also said.
According to the Centre for Health Protection, as of July 16, the overall local activity of Covid-19 'has continuously decreased.'

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