Coronavirus: Thread

[grarpamp]

During a week that has seen a new COVID variant emerge and suddenly
throw the efficacy of American vaccines and remedies into question,
the FDA's outside advisors have only narrowly approved of Merck's
molnupiravir, opening the door for the agency to approve the drug for
use among high-risk patients only.
The Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee, as the panel is known,
voted 13 to 10 in support of the FDA approving the drug, which was
first introduced to the public a couple of months ago with
"blockbuster" experimental results from a very limited trial that,
according to some critics, glossed over safety risks presented by the
drug.
Just last week, the company said that a final analysis had found the
drug to be about 30% effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization
and death in high-risk people, lower than the 50% efficacy first
announced in October after a preliminary look at the data.