iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
To go through the final phase of the pandemic without further spikes in cases, people will need to exercise caution during daily activities
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Japan approves use of anti-Covid pill
Merck's molnupiravir will be used beginning next week
Japan has approved the Covid-19 pill developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. for use beginning next week, the Japanese health minister said Friday.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that a ministry drug panel authorized Merck’s molnupiravir under a fast-track process and the drug will be shipped to hospitals and pharmacies beginning next week.
ALSO READ:
It’s one of two medications for treating Covid-19 that Japan has secured. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country is procuring 1.6 million doses from Merck.
Japan has also arranged for a shipment of 2 million doses of a Covid-19 pill made by Pfizer that hasn’t yet received approval for use in the country.
Until recently, Japan largely kept out coronavirus infections involving the new omicron variant by enforcing stringent border controls. The first known locally transmitted cases were reported in Osaka on Wednesday.
More cases were reported Friday in Osaka and neighbouring Kyoto, while Tokyo reported its first community-acquired omicron case.
More news from coronavirus
Authorities announced on Monday that wearing masks is no longer mandatory in classrooms and inside school campuses
Emirates announces new mandate as the world marked 1,000 days since the first coronavirus case was reported to WHO in December 2019
Over 189.9 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far
Malls were closed in March 2020 and reopened a month later with stringent measures in place to curb the spread of the virus
Mask wearing is now optional in all public spaces except medical facilities, mosques and public transportation
New guidelines about wearing masks, social distancing, PCR tests and more explained
The rules differ for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals