I Have Covid. Should I Take Paxlovid?
We asked experts about who should take the antiviral medication, how well it works and where to get it for free.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/well/covid-paxlovid-treatment.html
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Iām so sorry, I wish theyād recommended Paxlovid for you.
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Hereās another article I was able to read free, with no subscription.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/01/08/paxlovid-antiviral-covid-rebound/
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Paxlovid appeared to affect the electrical system of my heart (there is an DA warning on this). I stopped after two days. Felt well for 3 days. Then whammo, in the hospital, and COVID affected heart rhythm. Very confusing. I have had every vaccine. And yes my entire art class got COVID from one individual who appeared well, but tested positive later that day.
I have a fair amount of health issues. and am feeling that increasing isolation is inevitable since everyone I know has this same attitude that it is just a cold. Noone in my life will test (except my kids). Once spring comes, I hope to see more people but social contacts diminish Nov. - Feb. because of my vulnerability.
Boston Globe today 1/13/- excerpt
It seems like hardly anyone still cares about COVID. Does it matter?
Doctors differ on the question, with some saying long COVID remains a significant risk, while others say that concern is overblown
By Adam Piore
The number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations is surging across the region. But not fast enough to overcome widespread COVID fatigue, a phenomenon some frustrated public health experts say feeds a deadly state of denialism.
Levels of coronavirus in Boston-area waste water recently reached their highest point since the Omicron surge two years ago. Yet pandemic-era precautions like masking and testing before parties and flights ā even when you have a cold ā have gone the way of toilet paper hoarding and Zoom birthday parties*.* And just one in five Massachusetts residents say they have received the latest booster, which protects against the new, highly contagious JN.1 variant causing the surge.
What are the potential consequences? The answers vary depending on which public health expert you ask.
With more than 95 percent of Americans now carrying antibodies against some forms of the virus, either from a vaccine or previous infections, the risk of serious illness and death is low for most of the population. The elderly, immunocompromised, and those with preexisting conditions are the most likely to pay the price. Their vulnerability constitutes the most urgent reason for the young and healthy to take precautions, most public health experts agree.
I agree with the articleās summation. My husband just had his annual physical and he discussed getting the current vaccine with his physician. The doctor said he probably didnāt need it. And then my husband mentioned he hadnāt had Covid yet and the doctor said well then, maybe you should consider it. If that is deciding factor between getting and not getting the vaccine it might explain why so many people have chosen not to get it. It also sounds like as usual some people who have had the full spectrum of vaccines are still getting relatively ill. Now perhaps those people wouldāve ended up in the hospital without them. Perhaps not. At this point, 4 years in, short of a mutation that starts killing people the way the original strain did or worse, is an uphill battle to convince people that Covid should be treated differently than a flu or cold. Itās unfair to those who are more vulnerable to covid than the average person but short of a mutation that ups mortality I canāt see attitudes changing.
As a side note I still mask and keep a stockpile of tests. I would have no problem testing before visiting anyone. Not sure what the opposition is to that other than perhaps the costs of the tests? Doctor offices around here have reinstated the mask requirement but due to flu not covid which is a new one.
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I live in an area where many people view Covid through a very political lens. As a result, I can get plenty of no-cost test kits at my public library!
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Free tests are plentiful here. But if I ask people if they would be willing to test, I always say I will provide the tests.
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I still have many test kitsāsome of which are recently expired and the rest months before expiring. I havenāt had ANY symptoms and havenāt tested since we had covid in July.
H and I have had 7 covid shots. Not sure how many S, DIL and D have hadāat least the 1st few.
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same here. Only home tested once since the pandemic began, and that was at the request of the doctorās office prior to an elective procedure. OTOH, I did get a few PCR tests done by a lab early in the pandemic before getting on planes to go visit relatives.
No symptoms, no need to self-test.
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I tested a bunch after exposure to make sure I was negative (Iām casual about my own health, not others) but still had a bunch of tests from various places. I still use the tests if expired - I figure as long as the control line comes up as expected the test is likely fine. Unless someone knows differently I canāt think of any reason they wouldnāt continue working more than a year or two.
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Someone I work with was very sick for 2 weeks. Her daughter and husband tested positive for Covid, but she didnāt. I still told her not to come in for 2 weeks.
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I have read that some people who have latest variant of covid are testing negative with the OTC antigen tests, tho they have covid. They are still testing positive on PCR tests, but those are tougher to get.
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At $8+ per test after the free ones from the USPS, probably many people do not have that big a stockpile.
Regarding mask requirements in health care places, the combination of COVID-19, flu, and RSV could be a concern.
When H had it at Christmas, I stayed home with him even though I tested negative. I had the ability to do that, but if I had to go into an office, I would have worn a mask & kept my distance from others to the extent possible. I donāt have a problem being careful for others.
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Other than my husband, Iāve seen only one other person, the piano tuner, in 10 days! Itās so odd. I canāt say I mind it, though.
They are still free here, most easily at public libraries and schools, doctorsā offices, and politiciansā field offices.
I had one expired test that didnāt work, but it looked suspect - it didnāt have as much fluid as it was supposed to. I had another test from the same company also expired that worked fine. (I had Covid as I suspected.)
I just got home from great nieceās 4th birthday party. No one was coughing or sneezing or seemed to have any symptoms of anything. Much of the time we were outdoors in the patio with a stiff wind blowing. There were several dozen people present.
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gift link
We Are in a Big Covid Wave. But Just How Big?
Wastewater data has become perhaps the best metric to track the spread of the virus in the U.S., but itās an imperfect tool.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/upshot/covid-pandemic-wave.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Nk0.Nmdu.CH8t06d-iwnP&smid=url-share
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