KUCHING: The state government will acquire its own Covid-19 medicines to protect Sarawakians.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the directive to get this done was issued by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg recently.
“The chief minister has instructed the state government to acquire (the medicines) if necessary or to supplement the medical supplies from the Health Ministry.
“The new emerging medicines (to treat Covid-19) can save the lives of Sarawakians,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday (Sunday).
Earlier, Dr Sim said he was excited about AstraZeneca’s new medicine for treating Covid-19.
He said more useful drugs were expected to emerge from clinical trials in the near future for the same purpose.
“This ranges from Covid-19 prevention to life-saving therapeutic treatment options in the next few months so that we can live with Covid-19 safely,” he said.
However, Dr Sim predicted the costs of procuring the drugs would be expensive.
Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca recently said its new antibody cocktail against Covid-19 had proven to work in non-infected people.
It said the drug was also shown to save lives and prevent severe diseases when given within a week of the first symptoms.
The drug, a combination of two antibodies called AZD7442, reduced the risk of severe Covid-19 or death by 50 percent in non-hospitalised patients who have had symptoms for seven days or less, it added.
Earlier this month, Dr Sim said the experimental anti-viral pill for beating Covid-19 introduced by pharmaceutical company Merck & Co was a potential game changer in the fight against the coronavirus.
