South Korea is expected to announce as early as next week when to bring in antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 patients. 

Kim Ok-su, a senior official of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA), said in a regular media briefing on Thursday that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will likely review by year-end whether to issue emergency authorization for the use of oral drugs. 

The government previously announced that it has secured enough COVID-19 pills to administer to 404-thousand people and is in talks to purchase additional supplies. 

The ministry on Thursday postponed its initial plans to unveil details regarding the authorization of the pills, saying they can secure the supply by next week and that they may be able to move up shipment schedules.

The government had said earlier it will introduce the drugs from February.

The ministry has been reviewing emergency authorization of molnupiravir, an antiviral pill developed by New-Jersey-based Merck & Co., and also launched on Wednesday reviews on similar pill, Paxlovid, produced by rival U.S. company Pfizer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) on Wednesday authorized emergency use of the Pfizer product for at-home treatment. 

KDCA's Kim said the government will consider using the antiviral drugs in treating mild, moderate and critical patients, as well as those being treated at home if approved.