The first at-home treatment for Covid has been given to patients in the UK as part of a major national study. Molnupiravir will be tested on 10,000 people at risk of serious illness in research led by University of Oxford.

Last month, the UK became the first country in the world to approve its use - a move described as a "game-changer" by health secretary Sajid Javid. But some scientists have questioned its effectiveness after its early clinical trial results were downgraded.

Molnupiravir, initially developed to treat influenza, works by inserting errors into the genetic code of coronavirus every time it copies itself, limiting its ability to multiply in the body.

The UK has agreed to purchase 480,000 courses of the drug which is designed to reduce the risk of more vulnerable patients needing hospital treatment after catching the virus.

It is the first antiviral medication for Covid which can be taken at home in tablet form,rather than injected or given intravenously.

Earlier this week Sonia Bryan, a 65-year-old nurse from Redditch in Worcestershire,became one of the first people in the world to be given the pill outside of a clinical trial run by a drug company.
"I'm in the older age group,so I'm a little bit more at risk,"she said.

"If it works, they can get this drug into the community,help people get back to normal more quickly, and prevent hospital admissions so Covid doesn't get out of hand."

Sonia, who looked after Covid patients herself in the first wave of the pandemic, has no idea how she caught the virus, but started to feel unwell last week and tested positive on 9 December.

The following day she was sent a course of the pills by courier as part of a national study called Panoramic led by University of Oxford and funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

The trial is aiming to rapidly recruit 10,600 people across the UK to test whether the pill cuts the need for the over-50s and those with underlying health problems to be admitted to hospital.

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