In Germany, paxlovid is by prescription through physicians only and German physicians have been reluctant to prescribe it. Hence health minister Karl Lauterbach decided that general practitioners can stock 5 Paxlovid courses in their practice and dispense it directly to patients, that a prescription would be remunerated with 15 euros and that every nursing home should appoint a vaccination officer as well as a Paxlovid officer. As of August 2022 the treatment guidelines, which German family doctors follow, have not been updated since February 2022 and recommend Paxlovid only in unvaccinated risk patients, i.e. in only a few people.As of April 2022, the United States ordered a total of 20 million Paxlovid courses. As of July 2022, the United States Department of Health and Human Services set up at least 2,200 sites where people could receive Paxlovid as soon as they test positive for the virus, including pharmacies, community health centers and long-term care facilities. In July 2022, the US FDA allowed state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe it to people with COVID-19 at high risk of progressing to severe disease. Comparison to ivermectin
The co-packaged medication is sometimes falsely claimed to be a repackaged version of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin, which has been promoted as a COVID-19 therapeutic. Such claims, sometimes using the nickname "Pfizermectin", rely on superficial similarities between the mechanism of action of both drugs and the claim that Pfizer is suppressing the benefits of ivermectin. References
External links
Halford B (January 2022). "How Pfizer scientists transformed an old drug lead into a COVID-19 antiviral".
Brain fag syndrome (BFS) describes a set of symptoms; somatic, sleep-related and cognitive complaints, difficulty in concentrating and retaining information, head and or neck pains, and eye pain. Brain Fag is very common in adolescents and young adults. It is believed to be the most common in these age ranges due to the immense amount of pressure occurring in life during these years. The condition was arguably first described in Nigerian high school and university students in the 1960s. It is considered a culture-bound syndrome caused by excessive pressure to be successful among the young. Etymology
The term brain fag presumably stems from the verb meaning of the word, "To cause (a person, animal, or part of the body) to become tired; to fatigue, wear out" chiefly found in British English. Classification
BFS is classified in the fourth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as a culture-bound syndrome. Individuals with symptoms of brain fag must be differentiated from those with the syndrome according to the Brain Fag Syndrome Scale (BFSS); Ola et al said it would not be "surpris[ing] if BFS was called an equivalent of either depression or anxiety". Causes
Brain Fag is typically driven in people with high anxiety and people with high stress levels. Morakinyo found in 20 people with BFS an achievement drive that was anxiety-related that led to the use of psychostimulants and consequent sleep deprivation which contributed to cognitive disruption. Omoluabi related BFS to test anxiety.