Covid drug eliminates virus in 3 days; Spain’s new travel rules

A new anti-Covid-19 drug trial has shown it can eliminate the virus in three days. It comes as Spain has changed travel rules for travellers. See how it affects Aussies.

A health worker shows a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine. Picture: Javier Torres / AFP.

A new anti-Covid-19 drug trial has shown it can eliminate the virus in three days, a study has revealed.

The US manufactured drug Molnupiravir has been shown to “eliminate” a mild to moderate Covid-19 infection by the third day of infection but the person diagnosed with Covid-19 must start the drug within five days of developing any symptoms.

Molnupiravir is an “oral antiviral prodrug” which has been provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia

The study, conducted by Merck & Co, the manufacturer of the drug, found none of the 92 participants with Covid-19 still had the virus by day three of taking Molnupiravir.

But 21 per cent of participants who had a placebo still had the virus at that time.

Dr Julie Strizki, the scientist spearheading the study, found a five-day course of Molnupiravir is effective.

“This study provides additional evidence that molnupiravir helps those infected clear SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-1) faster than placebo,” she said.

“Molnupiravir can lower the risk of progression to serious illness in this high-risk cohort.”

The study and its results will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

SPAIN’S NEW COVID TRAVEL RULES

Spain has extended Covid entry requirements until the end of the month, impacting Easter holidaymakers.

Until April 30, only fully vaccinated people or those who can show proof of recovery from Covid can enter the country.

The Spanish Ministry of Health also required all travellers from an EU/EEA risk country need to fill out the Health Control Form.

“If you come from a country at risk in relation to Covid-19, you must present a certificate or document proving vaccination, diagnostic test for active infection or recovery from Covid-19”, a statement of the ministry read.

Teens do not need to be vaccinated to enter Spain.

To enter, you must prove you have been fully vaccinated within the last 270 days.

If you received your second dose more than nine months ago, you must have a booster vaccine.

People sunbathing and enjoying the beach on May 24, 2021 in Fuengirola, Spain. Picture: Getty

CHINA NOT PREPARED FOR COVID OUTBREAK

A top Shanghai official has revealed the Chinese financial hub had been “insufficiently prepared” for its latest Covid outbreak, as criticism mounts over lockdowns that have caught residents off guard.

The eastern megacity of 25 million has been split in two as part of a rolling lockdown plan to battle China’s worst outbreak in two years.

The spread of the Omicron variant is testing the country’s zero-Covid strategy, which aims to crush virus clusters as soon as they emerge.

Residents in the eastern half of Shanghai have been confined to their homes since Monday and subjected to testing, before the restrictions are switched to the more populated western half on Friday.

The curbs, which kicked in hours after being announced on Sunday evening, spurred panic-buying at supermarkets and sent vegetable prices surging.

And some residents in western Puxi said they were already being ordered to stay at home days before the official lockdown.

Workers, wearing protective gear, stand next to the access of a Hotel on the Bund, in the Puxi area that will be in lockdown from April 1, in Shanghai. Picture: Hector Retamal / AFP.

One of Shanghai’s top officials, Ma Chunlei, made a rare admission of failure Thursday, saying in a statement that authorities had been “insufficiently prepared for the substantial increase in infected people”.

“We sincerely accept everyone’s criticism, and are working hard to improve,” Ma said in a briefing.

He added that the city was beefing up its resources for Covid testing and patient isolation.

Puxi resident Dong Jun said his district was unexpectedly placed under lockdown Wednesday, two days ahead of the official start date.

“I’ve been keeping my fridge full because of my previous experience of lockdown, but it still caught me off guard when I woke up and heard a lockdown was announced,” he told AFP.

“It’s quite a hassle to maintain a certain amount of life necessities.” Hours before it was Puxi’s turn to lock down, the streets were subdued with few cars on the road and many restaurants and shops already closed.

Meanwhile, as residents on the eastern side of the city prepared to finish their four-day closure, authorities said that buildings where positive cases had been found would be subjected to a further ten days of lockdown.

Starting from 5am Friday, authorities would “judge the results” of the first lockdown and decide the management of each area, they said in a statement late Thursday.

US AUTHORISES FOURTH COVID SHOT

The United States has authorised a fourth dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and older, as authorities warn of a possible new wave driven by the BA. 2 variant.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement it had based its decision on emerging evidence that an additional booster, given four months after the last, improved protection against severe Covid and wasn’t associated with new safety concerns.

Additionally, people with immune compromising conditions who have already received four shots, with their latest at least four months ago, are now eligible for a fifth dose.

That includes people living with certain organ transplants.

The Pfizer vaccine will be available to immune compromised people aged 12 and over, while the Moderna vaccine will be available to those 18 and up.

“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from Covid-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals,” senior FDA scientist Peter Marks said, explaining the decision.

A health worker shows a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine. Picture: Javier Torres / AFP.

The FDA said data from Israel, which had studied the effects of a fourth dose given four months after the third on 700,000 people, found the extra shot was safe.

It also cited data from a study of 154 health workers whose antibody levels, including against the Delta and Omicron variants, were restored to high levels two weeks after their fourth doses.

A study published by Israeli researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine this month indicated that three doses of current generation mRNA vaccines have hit a ceiling in terms of the immune response generated.

In other words, while three doses brings immunity levels to new heights, the fourth dose restores antibody levels to where they previously were shortly after the third.

Experts have said the benefits to younger, healthy people aren’t yet clear, and say new vaccines will likely need to be developed as the virus continues to mutate.

Originally published as Covid drug eliminates virus in 3 days; Spain’s new travel rules