US surpasses 700,000 deaths due to Covid

Merck's Molnupiravir oral antiviral drug

As the world approaches 5 million confirmed dead due to Covid-19, the US passes 700,000 with no signs of slowing down. More than 235 million are confirmed to have contracted the disease, though the number is probably much higher in reality. Just thinking that both India's and China's populations are around 1.4 billion, then 235 million is a drop in the bucket. This thing is going to be with us for a long time. 

When you think that the Spanish flu in 1918-1919 killed somewhere around 50,000,000 globally but only about 675,000 in the US, we're doing a helluva a lot better globally, probably because of the vaccine and known precautions. 

The worry is that flu will rear its head this year, so I've already had my vaccination. Europe approved Fluad Tetra which I had not heard of. It is a surface antigen subunit vaccine with adjuvant. Europe indicated it for over 65s as it has better efficacy. But I was taken aback when they described it as being for the elderly. Then it dawned on me that, at 67, I am considered elderly. But there are so many people older than me now that I just don't feel that old. Maybe I never will. Observational studies among Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older found that trivalent Fluad provided greater protection against flu-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits than standard-dose, egg-based quadrivalent flu vaccine. Data comparing the effectiveness of Fluad Quadrivalent with standard-dose unadjuvanted inactivated vaccines are not yet available.

I am scheduled for the pneumococcal vaccine on Tuesday. We will probably be advised to get a Covid booster soon, for which I will be among the first in line. 

The great news is that Merck has developed an antiviral drug called Molnupiravir which cuts the rate of hospitalisation and death by 50%. I think it's the first new antiviral in years and it's oral. They will be going for emergency use authorisation and have priced the drug at $700 a course, which is less than monoclonal antibody therapy but still not like penicillin. Of course, you have to catch the infection early, as with other antivirals. But they are calling it a game-changer. It takes 4 capsules 2x/day for 5 days - 40 capsules in total. It stops the virus from replicating by inserting errors into its genetic code. I'll have to read more about that MOA.