Dhe British Medicines Agency MHRA has approved a tablet for the treatment of Covid-19 for the first time. The antiviral drug Lagevrio (also known as molnupiravir) is safe and effective in reducing the risk of hospital admissions and deaths in Covid patients with mild and moderate courses, a statement from the British government said on Thursday. It is the world’s first approved antiviral for oral use against Covid-19.
The preparation developed by the pharmaceutical companies Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) interferes with the reproduction of the virus and thus reduces the severity of the disease. Clinical studies have shown that it is most effective when taken as soon as possible after a positive test and within five days of the onset of symptoms. Health Minister Sajid Javid praised the approval as a “historic day for our country” and “decisive game” for risk groups such as people with suppressed immune systems.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced at the end of October that it would examine the use of molnupiravir. The US FDA has also initiated an approval process for the product. The EMA is also examining seven other possible corona funds. Remdesivir (trade name Veklury) from the US company Gilead has been the only drug approved in the EU since July 2020 – but only for certain seriously ill corona patients. It is given as an infusion.
Incidence at all-time high
The number of new infections with the coronavirus every day has risen to a record high in Germany. The health authorities reported a total of 33,949 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within one day – more than ever before. That comes from the numbers of the RKI from Thursday morning. A week ago the value was 28,037 infections. The previous record was 33,777 cases on December 18, 2020.
The all-time high coincides with the start of a conference of federal and state health ministers in Lindau on Lake Constance. The department heads want to stake out the corona course for the winter in their consultations. One of the things that will be discussed until Friday is how more people can be induced to have booster vaccinations. Compulsory testing in nursing homes is also an issue.
The nationwide seven-day incidence – i.e. the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week – is now 154.5 according to the latest RKI data. On Wednesday the value was 146.6, 130.2 a week ago. The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days – the most important parameter for a possible tightening of the corona restrictions – was given by the RKI as 3.62 (Tuesday: 3.29).
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More deaths
Four out of a hundred deaths in Germany in the past year can be traced back directly to the corona virus. This was the result of the final figures from the Federal Statistical Office, which were published on Thursday. According to this, 39,758 people died in 2020, in the first year of the pandemic, of Covid-19 as a so-called underlying disease – the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the main cause of death in these cases. The preliminary numbers from early July were about 9,000 cases lower.
A total of 985,572 people died in Germany last year, of which 492,797 men and 492,775 women. The number of deaths has increased by 4.9 percent compared to 2019. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the increase is also due to deaths from Covid-19.
As in previous years, according to the information, cardiovascular diseases were by far the most common cause of death. With 338,001 deceased, they were the cause of a third (34 percent) of all deaths. Cancer cases were responsible for almost a quarter (23.5 percent).
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The number of people infected with Corona is increasing.
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Image: dpa
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More than 55 million people in Germany are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That comes from figures from the Robert Koch Institute on Wednesday. Accordingly, around 270,000 vaccine doses were administered on Wednesday. 57.8 million people (69.6 percent) have received at least one vaccination, 55.6 million (66.9 percent) are fully vaccinated. 2.4 million people have also received a booster vaccination.
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