By Manas Mishra and Michael Erman (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it authorized state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid to eligible patients, in a bid to improve access to the treatment. Use of the pill, authorized to treat newly infected, at-risk people to prevent severe illness, has jumped in recent weeks as infections rise. “Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients,” Patrizia C…