Starting Saturday, prescriptions for a COVID-19 oral treatment developed by U.S. firm Merck Sharp & Dohme(MSD) will begin to be filled for patients.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the initial batch of 20-thousand doses of the antiviral pill Lagevrio which arrived Thursday will be supplied to hospitals from Saturday.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted emergency approval of the pill on Wednesday. Lagevrio is the second oral treatment for COVID-19 introduced in Korea after Pfizer's Paxlovid.

An additional batch for 80-thousand patients is set to arrive Sunday.

Lagevrio will be given to patients 60 and older within five days of symptoms occurring. It will also be administered to people over 40 who have underlying diseases and those with weak immune systems who cannot take other medication.

Authorities are also considering introducing AstraZeneca's antibody drug Evusheld.

From Sunday, the cap on the number of self-test kits that can be purchased at convenience stores and pharmacies will be lifted. Consumers can now buy more than five. This comes as the supply situation has stabilized. However, a ban on selling the kits online will remain.