Canberra, Oct 4 (IANS): The Australian government has increased its supply of a potentially life-saving Covid-19 treatment as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic, a Minister announced here on Monday.

Greg Hunt, the Minister for Health, said that orders of sotrovimab for the National Medical Stockpile have been increased from 7,700 doses to more than 31,000, reports Xinhua news agency.

The sotrovimab treatment requires a single dose to be administered through an intravenous (IV) infusion in a health care facility and has been shown to reduce hospitalisation or death by 79 per cent in adults with mild to moderate Covid-19, who are at risk of developing severe Covid-19.

Hunt said medical experts estimate that between 8 and 15 per cent of Australian adults with Covid-19 will be recommended for treatment with sotrovimab, and this treatment must be given within five days of symptoms onset.

It is a novel monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19 that has been approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Hunt said that it has the potential to protect Australians from developing serious diseases, and reduce hospitalisations and deaths in people who are at high risk from the disease.

On Monday morning, Australia reported more than 2,000 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases and 12 deaths.

The new figures increased the overall caseload and death toll to 113,411 and 1,346.

According to the latest data released by the Department of Health, 79.4 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 jab, while 56.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.