SKo to start using remdesivir for some patients

South Korea said Wednesday it will start using the Gilead Sciences drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients with severe symptoms.

South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced in a regular briefing it had signed a contract with the South Korean branch of Gilead for free supplies of remdesivir and will use it for virus patients with pneumonia-like symptoms and those who need oxygen therapy.

Earlier Wednesday, South Korea's Vice Minister of Health Kim Kang-lip urged religious groups to refrain from gathering as infections traced to religious meetings continue to increase across the country.

Kim said transmissions at small-scale meetings such as this were more difficult for authorities to trace.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.