First Pill To Treat Covid Authorized

Laura Coates Live

CNN

News

4.2 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2021

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A potentially game-changing Covid antiviral pill developed by Pfizer has been authorized by the FDA. Paxlovid, which is proven to significantly reduce Covid hospitalizations and death, will be available in January and has also been green-lighted for children aged 12 and older.

Also tonight: school closures across the U.S. mount amid the Omicron surge, Biden reiterates his plans to run in 2024 saying a Trump rematch would "increase the prospect", when does tough on crime go too far? A truck driver is set to serve a 110-year prison sentence after a deadly crash in Colorado and Bob Costas joins to discuss vaccinations and sports leagues.

Guests: Dr. Peter Hotez, Joseph G. Allen, Bret Stephens and George Brauchler.

Hosted by Michael Smerconish.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The news continues, so let's hand it over to Michael Spurkhanish and CNN Tonight.
0:06.1	Incredible story, John.
0:07.2	Thank you so much.
0:08.2	I am Michael Spurkhanish and welcome to CNN Tonight.
0:11.3	A trifecta of good news this Wednesday evening.
0:14.6	We're going to take apart this potentially game-changing COVID pill authorized by the FDA
0:19.3	today and take hold of this encouraging new data that appears to show Omicron might
0:24.6	not be as ominous as it sounds.
0:27.0	And also, taking this very rare moment of harmony between President Biden and Trump in our
0:31.7	pandemic fight, never say never.
0:34.7	This country could use some doses of good news as we now see Omicron all over the map
0:39.4	of the United States.
0:40.4	The variant that arrived 22 days ago has spread to all 50 states along with DC and Puerto Rico,
0:47.2	but that shouldn't necessarily be as frightening as it looks.
0:50.7	Dr. Fauci highlighted data today from Africa, where Omicron was first detected that shows
0:55.8	this new COVID strain poses a 70% lower risk of severe disease than the Delta variant.
1:03.4	Fauci also pointed to data from Scotland appears to back it up.
1:07.2	That study found a two-thirds reduction in the risk of COVID hospitalization compared
1:11.9	with Delta.
1:12.9	So that's welcome news because maybe as Omicron spreads like wildfire with a much less
1:18.4	severe punch than Delta, we'll be more likely as a society to develop some sort of herd
1:23.4	immunity, although nothing is for certain with this virus.
	...

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