Australia is to purchase 300,000 courses of Merck & Co's experimental antiviral pill, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
The announcement came as Victoria logged the highest number of daily Covid-19 infections of any state in the country since the pandemic began.
Molnupiravir, which would be the first oral antiviral medication for Covid-19 if it gets regulatory approval, could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalised for people most at risk of contracting severe Covid-19, according to experts. "These treatments mean that we are going to be able to live with the virus," Mr Morrison told Nine News as Australia aims to reopen its borders next month for fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents.