Jordan News

Emad Abdel Karim

Despite the announcement of the production of the first treatment for the emerging corona virus last November, through the “Pfizer” company, which produced “Paxlovid” tablets to treat cases of corona infection, Jordan did not obtain this treatment before the month of March ( March) next.

According to the Prime Minister’s Adviser for Health Affairs, responsible for the Corona file, Dr. Adel Al-Balbisi, the first batch of Pfizer’s oral treatment for Corona, which is given, will arrive in Jordan next March, while experts believe that it is late and the peak of the disease has ended, according to their expectations.

Jordan, which will receive a quantity of Pfizer treatment that is sufficient for 8,000 patients, will be given in hospitals only, knowing that it will be allocated to cases that require treatment and will be intended for moderate or light injuries.

The experts confirmed in an interview with “Akhbar Al-Jordan” that the treatment is effective and it must be provided to the injured as soon as possible in order to reduce the number of severe injuries and admission to hospitals, as well as reducing the number of deaths.

A treatment that cures 90% of corona infections

Pulmonary and Respiratory Diseases Specialist Dr. Muhammad Al-Tarawneh stressed the importance of treatment and its role in confronting the epidemic that has spread recently and disrupted a number of aspects of life in society, especially the meetings of the Council of Ministers, Parliament and others due to the high number of injuries.

Al-Tarawneh told “Jordan News”, that this treatment will reach Jordan at the end of March or the beginning of next April, indicating that its arrival in Jordan will be late and after the end of the epidemic wave that the country is currently witnessing.

He pointed out that it was necessary to seek treatments from countries other than the American treatment, which the Ministry of Health announced that it will arrive early next April.

Al-Tarawneh explained that we want treatment now at the height of the crisis, as there were a number of treatments, including the British one, for example, and it was possible to obtain quantities of it at the present time instead of waiting for the American company Pfizer to agree to provide us with treatment months later.

On the feasibility of treatment in reducing injuries or treating corona and methods of use, he stressed that international medical and health reports indicate that it is a preparation for treating viruses that is given orally in the form of tablets at the beginning of medium and light infections and works to reduce complications that appear on the infected person and reduce deaths by up to 90%; Therefore, it is considered an important and effective treatment to confront the epidemic.

Al-Tarawneh explained that the treatment may not be effective or the patient’s body responds to it if the infection is in late stages, as the patient must be diagnosed in the first stage of infection, which is the first 7 days of infection, that is, the incubation stage of the disease.

He expected that despite the high prices of treatment, which amounts to a single dose to $500, which is a high cost, it will have a significant impact on reducing the percentage of infected people, reducing the rate of admission to hospitals and reducing the number of deaths, and thus treatment contributes greatly to coexistence with the epidemic that We expect it to last longer than experts expect.

Follow-up of cases treated at home is a necessary step

For his part, the epidemiologist Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Maani stressed the importance of taking treatment upon his arrival in Jordan, especially for patients with moderate conditions that did not reach critical conditions, so that we contribute to their treatment and prevent the deterioration of their health condition or their admission to the hospital.

Al-Maani indicated to “Jordan News”, that it is necessary for the Ministry of Health to seek to follow up all sick cases and not depend on treating the injured in their homes, as today we have more than 140,000 active cases in Jordan receiving treatment at home.

He continued: Here lies the great danger that these cases face serious symptoms and no one is following them or knows about their disease condition, and therefore we do not benefit from treatments or medicines.

Al-Maani pointed out the need for vigorous follow-up of sick cases and for the ministry to take a greater role in this field so that the treatment is appropriate and effective, preserves the lives of the infected and prevents the danger of the virus to them.

And he warned of the existence of undetected cases, especially as they are similar to cases of cold and seasonal flu, and you can only determine the infection through examination and review of clinics.

Treatment was delayed due to the experimental stage

Al-Maani pointed out that there are several treatments that are approved on an emergency basis, but because they are going through long stages, their arrival in Jordan or the Arab countries is delayed, noting that the production of medicines and treatments is not as fast as the vaccines that were previously manufactured in order to give effectiveness and safety to the injured.

He added that studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the drug in treating infection during the initial stages and under medical supervision in hospitals, either through needles or pills, and within 4 days.

Al-Maani noted that it is not possible to give treatment to someone who is not infected with the Corona virus, and treatment is only given in the event that the virus enters the human body only.