More than 90 percent of COVID patients treated with Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid showed significant improvement within three days, according to a report.

The report by Israel's Maccabi Healthcare Services showed that of the individuals who received Paxlovid, 60 percent started to feel better within the first day, Jerusalem Post reported.

"We recommend to anyone who has fallen sick with COVID and is found suitable for the treatment with this drug to take it and get protected against a serious illness that can lead to hospitalisation and even death," Maccabi division head Dr. Miri Mizrahi Reuveni was quoted as saying.

Israel started administering Paxlovid on 3 January.

The treatment involves taking three pills twice a day for five days, starting as soon as possible and no later than five days after the patient shows the first symptoms.

Data from Pfizer's clinical trial showed that when the treatment was started within three days of the first symptoms, hospitalisations and deaths dropped by 89 percent compared with a placebo.

In the survey, about 62 percent participants said they suffered from side effects.

So far, no patient who has received Paxlovid has died, the report said.

As per data by the Israeli Health Ministry as of last week, almost a third of patients did not accept the treatment - 753 refusals compared with 1,623 who accepted the drug.

A significant number of those who refused the treatment might also be unvaccinated, which is also considered a high-risk factor, suggest data from Meuhedet Health Maintenance Organization.

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT.)