麻豆社

Although there are several approved vaccines against Covid-19, there are no pills on the market to treat those who've been infected. But that could be about to change. Three companies are in late stage trials and the early results are said to be very promising. The pill is an antiviral, which is a treatment used for other viral infections, such as HIV and Hepatitis C, and work by stopping the virus from replicating in human cells.聽The pill would be taken as soon as you find out you are infected.

Timothy Sheahan, an assistant professor at the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, is optimistic the pill will 'drastically cut the time that you're sick, prevent transmission and may prevent you going to hospital'. He stresses that this is not a substitute for the vaccine, as 'prevention is always preferable to treatment'.

Photo: A stock image of a hand holding two pills Credit: Getty Images