Excellent news! An effective antiviral would be a game-changer. "Within five days" is a doable window (needs cheap/easy testing). I read Merck will allow generics for lower-income countries, await the details: cost will be an issue here. Also: does not make vaccines unnecessary.https://twitter.com/DrLeanaWen/status/1443908308629397510 …
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Will Saletan
Possible, and need a really strong communication campaign around this. Having an antiviral in the arsenal against hospitalization and death is excellent but drugs, including antivirals, come with much more safety concerns compared to vaccines.https://twitter.com/saletan/status/1443922410764443688 …
zeynep tufekci added,
Will SaletanVerified account @saletanReplying to @zeynepIt is great news. But, sadly, people who oppose the COVID vaccines — and the politicians who cater to those people — will indeed claim or imply, falsely, that it makes the vaccines unnecessary. That’s what many of them have done with monoclonal antibodies.3 replies 25 retweets 118 likesShow this thread -
Yes, many people feel more comfortable with drugs than vaccines, but, in fact, it is much easier to be comfortable with long-term safety profile of vaccines than many drugs. Excellent long-form article by
@andrew_croxford here on why, for the curious: https://bostonreview.net/science-nature/andrew-l-croxford-long-term-safety-argument-over-covid-19-vaccines …pic.twitter.com/vufTkRHpuB
7 replies 56 retweets 215 likesShow this thread -
Let me put it this way: having an effective drug in the arsenal is great news, but the optimal scenario for benefits versus risks/safety/cost is to vaccinate as widely as possible so that we need drugs a little as possible. Minimizing circulation > treating the ill.
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Replying to @zeynep
Also seems like it is good for immunocompromised and transplant patients who have been seeing their lives severely restricted if they want to be safe.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
Absolutely. Hope it works great for them.
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