Britain will start rolling out Pfizer's Covid-19 pill to vulnerable people next month, the health ministry said, targeting the treatment at people with compromised immune systems for whom the vaccine can be less effective.

The health ministry said that Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid, a combination of Pfizer's pill with an older antiviral ritonavir, will be made available to thousands of people from Feb 10, Reuters reports.

“It is fantastic news that this new treatment, the latest cutting-edge drug that the NHS is rolling out through new Covid-19 medicine delivery units, will now be available to help those at highest risk of Covid-19,” National Health Service medical director Stephen Powis said.