PM Justin Trudeau is giddy about Pfizer’s new drug, a COVID pill he presumably expects Canadians to take six times daily for the better part of a week whenever they catch the sniffles.
“Health Canada has approved Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral treatment for COVID-19,” Trudeau boasted in a Tweet. “We’ve secured 1 million treatment courses – more than 30,000 have already arrived, and we’re getting at least 120,000 more before the end of March.”
Update: @GovCanHealth has approved Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral treatment for COVID-19. We’ve secured 1 million treatment courses – more than 30,000 have already arrived, and we’re getting at least 120,000 more before the end of March.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 17, 2022
Trudeau has long been in talks with pharmaceutical companies regarding the acquisition of COVID antiviral treatments, specifically COVID pills manufactured by Pfizer and Merck. However, talks surrounding potential approval for them increased recently, apparently in response to various Premiers pushing for their rapid acceptance.
Much like the COVID vaccine, which was initially only for those 18 and older, Paxlovid is not considered safe for children; though, this could change whenever the government feels like it. As part of treatment with the drug, recipients will be expected to swallow six pills a day for five days straight. This ‘experts claim’ can reduce hospitalization by up to 90 per cent… Where have we heard this line before?
Moreover, the drug will only be available with a doctor’s prescription, and it apparently is so safe that several other drugs, such as those used in treating cancer, high blood pressure, and depression, cannot be used in conjunction.
Additionally, Chief Health Officer Theresa Tam says that the pills won’t end the pandemic, but she wants to see people start taking them anyway because it’s an “important tool.”
“For the Omicron wave itself, it may contribute, but it won’t be a key contributor to the current wave,” Tam said. “We think everybody really just needs to give it a good try because it will be, I think, an important tool going forward.”
Other ‘experts’ are warning that the supply of Pfizer’s new product is still too low for any strategy relying on the pill to be implemented successfully. However, with Trudeau jumping for joy at the prospect of funnelling more of Canadians tax dollars into the pockets of Pfizer’s CEO, this problem will surely resolve itself.
