Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum says the government will expand the use of COVID-19 treatment pills which has proven effective in mitigating critical symptoms and deaths among infected patients.

Chairing a government meeting on pandemic response on Friday, Kim said the government will promptly introduce a batch of Pfizer's COVID-19 oral treatment for the month of April based on a previously signed agreement. He added that the government is in final stages discussions to clinch a deal with Pfizer to bring in additional shipments.

Kim said the stock of Pfizer treatment pills are decreasing fast as more than seven-thousand people a day are taking the medication and vowed to take preemptive steps to avoid a national shortage of supplies.

He then cited that Merck’s COVID-19 oral treatment Molnupiravir, brand name Lagevrio, will be available for prescriptions from Saturday, saying 20-thousand courses of the pill arrived on Thursday and another 80-thousand courses will arrive this weekend.