For those of you that don’t click on links, I read that article the other day and the chart says rates are the highest in two years.
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I thought I was doing pretty well when I woke up this morning, so I went to the gym but didn’t push as hard as usual. Then I took the car for an oil change. Ugh, I’m not as recovered as I thought! It was kind of tough. I guess the cold plus talking made my cough and congestion worse. I had a major coughing fit in the car dealership waiting room so I had to go outside and stand in the cold until it ended. I’m going to lie on the couch and watch Netflix for a little while. I really do need to get some work done later, though. 
Mucinex DM (generic version of course) may be your friend.
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@MaineLonghorn sorry to hear you are still battling symptoms.
My coworker kept telling us she must have some weird immunity to covid. She told us she has had very close contact several times with family members - her boyfriend (hospitalized earlier on in pandemic with covid complications), her father, her teenage son, and her young children (a couple months ago, one slept in bed with her while sick w/sore throat, but daughter’s home covid test was negative, thought it was strep but PCR test by doctor was positive the next day). All of these occasions she never got it.
Then just after the New Year, her luck ran out and she tested positive for Covid. I haven’t talked to her but she was apparently very symptomatic. She told my boss her doctor told her to stay home for a week. Apparently she came in this past Thursday for her first day back, wearing a mask, but was still feeling terrible - dizzy, coughing, etc. I’m assuming she only came in b/c she is a relatively new employee and was prob worried about how much time off she had taken. My boss immediately sent her home. She is vaccinated, but I wonder if her being so sick has any relation to this being her first time w/Covid? She is youngish (early 40s) and very healthy otherwise so no underlying complications.
I was in close contact with her for about 30 mins the day before she tested positive for covid. She was not outwardly symptomatic but I was worried for a few days! Thankfully I did not get sick.
I hope you feel better soon!
Vaccine only tends to have less immunity than vaccine + prior infection. Vaccine immunity also depends on number of doses, recency of last dose, and how close a variant it was.
So if she only had the primary dose(s) in 2021, then she may be at higher risk of a bad case than if she recently had the XBB.1.5 booster.
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My sister has covid for the first time. Totally vaccinated (are we up to 6 or 7 now?). She feels awful. Called the doctor and they don’t want her to take Paxlovid due to a conflicting medication she’s on. I’m hearing of so many people having their first bout with this wave.
Our state had been behind on the wave and now as it comes down across the rest of the country, it’s rising here. I think we were late in getting JN.1 which meant that the circulating virus during the holidays was XBB and maybe the vaccines helped keep it down since the matched. Anyway, I’m back to masking in crowded public spaces.
Can’t she stop the med temporarily & take paxlovid then resume said med?
They had my husband discontinue one of his meds while taking Paxlovid.
She was going to talk to her doctor about it this afternoon. Urgent care over the weekend just said no
I hope she talks to her md soon, so she can start within the 5 day window for Paxlovid. Urgent care’s default is “no,” and figures people can go to their own mds if they want to pursue it.
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Just had my Medicare wellness exam and asked doctor what I should do if I ever test positive at home. Call office right away and get a telemedicine visit and they will authorize Paxlovid prescription ASAP (due to my diabetes). If after hours, call urgent care and they can also do telemedicine. She said I would need to stop my statins but not my diabetes meds.
I’ve had the latest COVID booster. Husband is thinking of getting RSV instead (but he’s had all the rest) since he’s known two people who think they had RSV in the last couple of months.
Son was at doctor for minor issue and they offered him the vaccine. He’s not sure why they had it handy since the medical system says it needs to be set up ahead of time. I said someone likely cancelled. He had a bit of a reaction for a couple of days - but luckily was working from home due to the not-as-bad-as-predicted Seattle weather.
So far all three of us have avoided knowingly getting COVID, although I still have suspicions about son’s bad episode of flu in early February 2020. Because, you know, Seattle, and they later determined virus was likely circulating before the big breakouts. They did not test for flu but made the presumption.
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Actually urgent care may not have access to patient medical records, this not having verification of meds someone is on that may not work well with Paxlovid.
Urgent care staff are qualified health care providers but they may have boundaries and limitations to providing the same care - or decisions- your pcp can procide
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@Marilyn ~ That is exactly what I did. They coached me through answering all of the questions ‘correctly’ and then called in the Paxlovid prescription. I was feeling better in a couple of days and had no rebound.
I did have the latest Covid booster and then, a few weeks later, had the RSV vaccine at the same time as my flu vaccine. It was a little rough for a couple of days. BUT, D, GS, and GD all had RSV during Winter Break. I cared for all of them before they were diagnosed and coughing, coughing, coughing. I did not get RSV. 
I just got my pneumococcal vaccine last week. That makes four vaccines in a few months. I hope I’m done now.
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The medical/hospital network I use has virtual urgent care and they have access to my medical records. When I tested positive for Covid after my daughter’s wedding in November, the virtual urgent care visit was quick: positive Covid test? What pharmacy?
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I just used the CVS telemedicine at 3am. Showed them the test, reviewed my meds, and had a script for Paxlovid called I to my pharmacy. All in all it took about 45 minutes.
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My pharmacist at CVS said he can get me Paxlovid if I have + covid test. He has a list of all my Rx. My list ng doc has me travel with Paxlovid, tamiflu and azithromycin, just in case I get sick while traveling.
Sure, many will have access. But not all. Some regions have health systems with varying EMR systems. Point being, it isn’t just an urgent care saying “no” it’s the inability to always have access. Of course they can tell a patient “you’re definitely Covid positive - contact your after hours pcp and request paxlovid “
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Just to follow up, my sister’s doctor agreed with urgent care that she should not stop her medication nor take Paxlovid. They prescribed molnupiravir instead. It doesn’t seem to be helping a lot yet.
I just got back from the doctor. My oxygen level was 92 at first, then it went up to 95. I’m going to have a chest x ray in the morning to make sure I’m not getting pneumonia. The doctor said no gym for now. 
You have had a rough go of it. 