While strongly recommending the use of Paxlovid for high-risk Covid-19 patients who develop mild or moderate symptoms, the World Health Organization on Friday warned that without increasing testing access and the reach of generic production and consumption, the lifesaving medicine is likely to remain inaccessible in much of the Global South—replicating the injustice of vaccine apartheid.

Pfizer's oral antiviral drug is "the best therapeutic choice for high-risk patients to date," the United Nations health agency said in a statement. However, it added, "WHO is extremely concerned that—as occurred with Covid-19 vaccines—low- and middle-income countries will again be pushed to the end of the queue when it comes to accessing this treatment."

"One obstacle for low- and middle-income countries is that the medicine can only be administered while the disease is at its early stages; prompt and accurate testing is therefore essential for a successful outcome with this therapy," said WHO. "Data collected by FIND show that the average daily testing rate in low-income countries is as low as one-eightieth the rate in high-income countries."