US health body authorises Pfizer drug as first pill against Covid-19

The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster, cheaper way to treat early Covid-19 infections, though initial supplies will be extremely limited

People queue up to get tested for Covid-19 in Miami (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

US health regulators have authorised the first pill against Covid-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus.

The long-awaited milestone comes as US cases, hospital admissions and deaths are all rising and health officials warn of a tsunami of new infections from the Omicron variant that could overwhelm hospitals.