ABC‘s Andy Field - October 1 , 2021 - KRDO‘s Afternoon News

A new pill treatment for COVID-19 may keep patients diagnosed with COVID out of the hospital, according to the drug manufacturer. Taking a course of a particular antiviral pill over five days, shortly after COVID-19 diagnosis, may slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying of the virus by 50%, according to preliminary results announced by pharmaceutical companies Merck and Ridgeback. If this pill – called molnupiravir – is ultimately authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first antiviral pill people can take at home to reduce their risk of winding up in the hospital from the coronavirus. The medication would require a prescription and likely be for