The Health Ministry reported Sunday morning that of the 28,778 Israelis it screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 194 (0.68%) tested positive.
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There are currently 6,393 active cases in the country with 235 patients hospitalized. Of those, 178 are in serious condition.
Israel has reported 1,333,743 cases, including 8,114 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic. Thus far, 3,976,382 have been fully vaccinated, 5,739,851 received two doses and 6,244,672 got their first jabs.
Meanwhile, the ministry is expected to begin negotiations with Pfizer vaccine manufacturer in the upcoming days with regard to the coronavirus pill it developed, Israel Hayom learned from sources involved in the matter.
Pfizer announced on Friday that its "potent" experimental antiviral pill cuts rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults.
Currently most coronavirus treatments require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck's COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday Britain became the first country to approve it.
Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to authorize its drug as soon as possible. The company also said it was engaged in "active discussion" with 90 countries regarding the coronavirus medication. Israel is not one of those countries.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that the Pfizer pill "may be good news" and that he had already asked relevant entities to study the new drug and check its potential procurement by Israel.
"If the drug is approved for use, it will be another crucial tool in the management of the pandemic, along with vaccines for everyone and accessible tests, for everyone, at all times.
"We are entering a new phase," he said with regard to the coalition passing the state budget. "The government is now safe, the threat of elections has been removed, and now is the time to work. I ask that this stability, that the public awaited so much, be reflected in the actions of all of us."
Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, researchers worldwide have been racing to find a pill to treat COVID that can be taken at home to ease symptoms, speed recovery and keep people out of the hospital.
On Friday, Pfizer released preliminary results of its study of 775 adults. Patients who received the company's drug along with another antiviral shortly after showing COVID symptoms had an 89% reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month, compared to patients taking a dummy pill.
Less than 1% of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died. In the comparison group, 7% were hospitalized and there were seven deaths.
"We were hoping that we had something extraordinary, but it's rare that you see great drugs come through with almost 90% efficacy and 100% protection for death," Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said.
Study participants were unvaccinated, with mild-to-moderate COVID, and were considered high risk for hospitalization due to health problems like obesity, diabetes or heart disease. Treatment began within three to five days of initial symptoms, and lasted for five days. Patients who received the drug earlier showed slightly better results, underscoring the need for speedy testing and treatment.
Pfizer reported few details on side effects but said rates of problems were similar between the groups at about 20%.
An independent group of medical experts monitoring the trial recommended stopping it early, standard procedure when interim results show such a clear benefit. The data have not yet been published for outside review, the normal process for vetting new medical research.
Although Merck's pill is further along in the US regulatory process, Pfizer's drug could benefit from a safety profile that is more familiar to regulators with fewer red flags. While pregnant women were excluded from the Merck trial due to a potential risk of birth defects, Pfizer's drug did not have any similar restrictions. The Merck drug works by interfering with the coronavirus' genetic code, a novel approach to disrupting the virus.
Pfizer's drug is part of a decades-old family of antiviral drugs known as protease inhibitors, which revolutionized the treatment of HIV and hepatitis C. The drugs block a key enzyme which viruses need to multiply in the human body.
The drug was first identified during the SARS coronavirus outbreak originating in Asia during 2003. Last year, company researchers decided to revive the medication and study it for COVID-19, given the similarities between the two coronaviruses.
The US has approved one other antiviral drug for COVID-19, remdesivir, and authorized three antibody therapies that help the immune system fight the virus. But they have to be given by IV or injection at hospitals or clinics, and limited supplies were strained by the last surge of the Delta variant.
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