PUTRAJAYA: The Paxlovid antiviral medicine used on 4,001 Covid-19 patients showed no serious side effects, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said the ministry decided on administering the antiviral medication on Covid-19 patients who displayed slight to medium infection severity levels.
"Paxlovid maybe used on Covid-19 patients who are suffering from the infection in category 2 and 3, provided the patient is above 18 years old," he said in a press conference today.
He said Covid-19 patients may obtain the medication from any of the health clinics listed in the ministry's list.
"Anyone who has self-tested and found to be positive must report their status to us via the MySejahtera application."
Khairy said this amidst a spike in the number of daily infections, with 4,020 Covid-19 cases recorded yesterday, the first time the nation has seen the 4,000-case mark breached since April.
Since Monday, Malaysia has seen a steady rise in the number daily cases, suggesting that a new wave has struck the nation.
On June 23, Khairy had warned that a new wave of Covid-19 infections was expected to occur earlier than expected, within two or three months, based on the rising number of cases and global infection trends.
The statement was meant to serve as a reminder to Malaysians, to not let their guard down.
With the upcoming Hari Raya Aidiladha, Khairy also reminded people to stay vigilant, practice TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform and Seek) and take a Covid-19 self-test before returning to their hometowns for the holiday.
He had also said that during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri in May, the number of daily cases had soared to 3,410 and among factors that caused the surge was the mass travelling.