I wonder if this Pfizer anti-viral pills will become a subject of conspiracy theories like their vaccine?:
Workers at a distribution center in the central county of Ochang open boxes containing Paxlovid, COVID-19 treatment pills developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., on Jan. 13, 2022. The first batch of Paxlovid for 21,000 people arrived in South Korea earlier in the day. (Yonhap)
The first batch of Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral COVID-19 treatment pills arrived in South Korea on Thursday as the country is working to stem the spread of coronavirus infections, health officials said.
The U.S. pharmaceutical giant’s oral pills for 21,000 people landed at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, at around 2 p.m. and were delivered to a logistics center in Ochang, 120 kilometers south of the capital, at 5:25 p.m., according to the authorities.
The Paxlovid pills will begin being administered to patients with compromised immune systems and those aged over 65 on Friday.
“They will be delivered to designated pharmacies and treatment centers across the country by tomorrow, or the day after,” Lim Sook-young, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said.
It will be interesting to see if Lee has his sentenced reduced for facilitating a vaccine deal that now shields the Moon administration from the heavy criticism they had been receiving:
Lee Jae-yong walks into the Seoul High Court on Jan. 18. (Yonhap)
After South Korea closed a deal with Pfizer to obtain additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Samsung Electronics’ de facto chief, Lee Jae-yong, is receiving much attention in local media for his reported role in facilitating talks between the two sides.
Seoul announced Friday that it had secured enough additional vaccine for 20 million people in a deal that soothed public worries over a shortage. Adding to those worries were the reported side effects associated with the AstraZeneca jabs — the mainstay of the country’s inoculation campaign.
According to the DongA Ilbo and multiple other media outlets, the vice chairman of Samsung, in prison since January for bribing former President Park Geun-hye, acted as a bridge between the Korean government and Pfizer.
While the Moon Jae-in government had no channels with the top leadership of the US vaccine developer until early December, Lee used his personal network and sought the help of Shantanu Narayen, chairman of the US computer software company Adobe, who was an independent director of Pfizer.
You can read more at the link, but for those that have followed Lee Jae-yong’s legal issues he was essentially jailed because he was caught in the middle of the political battles between the Korean left and right. He was jailed because it was alleged that former President Park made demands to Lee that Samsung give money to a sport agency to sponsor her friend’s daughter’s Olympic equestrian training. In return the Park administration was alleged to have smothered over Lee’s acquisition of Samsung from his then ailing father.
I have no idea if Lee is guilty of what he is accused of, but what I do know is that Korea is a rule by law nation instead of a rule of law nation. If powers that be want him guilty they can make it happen. The same powers that be can find a way to get him released as well. We will see if that happens in the coming months because I doubt they will announce it right after this vaccine deal.
