Turkey to use molnupiravir in Covid treatment

Photo: Merck

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Turkey will start using an antiviral drug with the active ingredient of molnupiravir next week, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced yesterday (February 2).

The drug produced by the US-based Merck Sharp & Dohme will be used in early phases of the disease in Covid-19 patients older than 65 or have a chronic disease, Koca said after the meeting of the ministry's Scientific Advisory Board.

Bed occupancy rates in hospitals in some provinces rose to a critical level due to the recent surge in Covid cases caused by the spread of the Omicron variant, said Koca. The bed occupancy rate throughout the country was 57.8 percent and the intensive care unit occupancy rate was 68.7 percent, he added.

İstanbul, the largest province of the country, was the first province where Omicron spread quickly, Kosa said. However, the number of daily new cases in the city dropped to about 20,000 from 40,000, he noted. (TP/VK)