Overseas Deployment Units Distribute Oral COVID-19 Treatment Pills Today

Since the Dongmyeong Unit was dispatched in July 2007, it has carried out over 31,000 operations to date, and in the 16th rotation, which completed its mission and returned in the past eight months, it identified as many as 13 suspected terrorist vehicles.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The military will urgently transport Pfizer's oral antiviral treatment, 'Paxlovid,' to deployed units today. This is the first time Paxlovid has been supplied to military units since its introduction in Korea.

On the 21st, the military announced, "We plan to transport Paxlovid to three units?Ark, Hanbit, and Dongmyeong?via urgent air courier today, and it is scheduled to be delivered to the Cheonghae Unit next month."

The supply quantity is reportedly enough for about 10% of the total deployed personnel to take. At a recent major commanders' meeting related to COVID-19 across the armed forces, a request was made for supplying treatment to deployed units, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was asked to provide it. Final approval was received from the agency on the 20th. The military authorities are pushing for the urgent transport of oral treatments to deployed units because the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

Recently, two confirmed COVID-19 cases occurred in the Korean Army Ark Unit deployed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They tested positive during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of all training participants before returning to their garrison after training. The remaining 40 or so personnel tested negative. The local unit reportedly placed all training personnel under quarantine and is conducting an epidemiological investigation to trace the infection route.

At the end of last month and early this month, confirmed cases were reported in the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon and the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan, respectively. The Cheonghae Unit experienced an unprecedented early return due to a large-scale cluster infection in July last year.

Meanwhile, the military is also conducting additional vaccinations for deployed personnel. The Cheonghae and Ark Units will receive vaccinations at local hospitals with the cooperation of the host country governments, while the Hanbit and Dongmyeong Units plan to have Pfizer vaccines airlifted locally for vaccination by the end of this month.