COVID-19 Resurges, But Chinese Pharmacies Barred From Selling Treatments: Why?

Although COVID-19 infections are spreading again in China recently, patients continue to face difficulties obtaining antiviral treatments at regular local pharmacies.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 5, an analysis of respiratory patient samples from hospitals nationwide in late July showed that the COVID-19 positive rate exceeded 20%, ranking the highest among respiratory viruses.

Local medical circles expect COVID-19 infections to increase further over the next one to two weeks.

However, it remains quite challenging for patients to acquire appropriate treatments in a timely manner.

Currently, to purchase COVID-19 treatments in China, patients must visit a hospital directly to get a prescription or use online official direct-sales pharmacies.

The problem is that oral treatments, which must be taken in the early stages of symptoms, can take up to five days for delivery when purchased online, potentially diminishing their therapeutic effectiveness.

The reason why sales at neighborhood pharmacies remain tightly blocked is that even though the treatments have officially received approval, most regions still enforce the strict sales regulations established during the pandemic quarantine controls in 2022.

While some pharmacies recommend flu medications instead of COVID-19 treatments, experts warn that the two drugs are completely different and cannot be used as substitutes.

The local pharmaceutical industry pointed out, "Even after COVID-19 has entered an endemic phase, millions of patients are expected to occur every year," adding, "More than half of the patients are likely to use medications that do not match their symptoms."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.