Shafaq news/ A health official announced, that an Iraqi medical team will head to Russia to study Avifavir, a Russian used to treat Covid-19. The drug will be available exclusively at official healthcare centers by the end of this week.

Dr. Ziad Hazem, a public health expert at Baghdad/Al-Karkh Health Department, said in a statement to Al-Sabah newspapers, on Tuesday, that "Avifavir" is a drug produced by a Japanese company in 1995, and has been developed in Russia officially since the emergence of Covid-19. This drug allowed some patients to achieve recovery within four days, instead of 14 days after using it.

Hazem clarified that the Ministry of Health held an online meeting with the Russian company, to start a joint cooperation for importing the drug. noting that the drug, "will not be completely manufactured in Iraq. The raw material will be imported and capsuled here".

Hazem considers that the case count is not as important as the fatality count, which is rising recently. However, he views the low percentage of the critical cases (1% only are ICU patients) as a positive sign, as he refers that to the successful protocol implemented and the utilization of convalescent plasma therapy, which has proved excellent results for critical cases.