Starting Monday, Pfizer's COVID-19 oral treatment Paxlovid will also be available to people 40 and older with underlying medical conditions.

Health authorities said Friday they are expanding eligible recipients of the antiviral pill, initially limited to seniors aged 65 and above and people with weak immune systems. 

The government lowered the age cap to 60 last month and then early this month decided to include people over 50 with underlying ailments.

People 40 and above with underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and obesity can also have Paxlovid prescribed from Monday. Patients with cardiovascular diseases or chronic illnesses of the kidney or lungs such as asthma are also eligible for the medication.

As of Thursday, some 89-hundred COVID-19 patients have taken the oral medication.

Due to the number of medications that cannot be taken simultaneously with antiviral pill, some prospective recipients may not be able to take it.