Various news about COVID-19, including long COVID and a nasal vaccine trial:
I was sicker the first time I had Covid. I had a really bad headache and fever. The second time I had it (this April), I didnāt have a fever, no headache, felt more like a cold. But both times I had a Covid cough. I would have a fit of cough and then it would stop. The cough lasted for few weeks.
I was also sicker the first time I had Covid in January of 2022, but I still was not sick for more than a couple of days. When I got Covid the second time in January of 2023 I was really only down for 24 hours even though I continued to test positive for days. I did not take Paxlovid either time because even though I am over 60 I have no underlying conditions.
Took Paxlovid in June even though I wasnāt terribly sick. One, you donāt know how you will progress, and two, it reduces your chances of getting long covid. I have no comorbidities and am younger than 65.
It also makes you less contagious.
I took Paxlovid all three times I had Covid (5/22, 11/23, 8/24). I think it hastened my recovery and I had no rebound. However I did have serious long Covid symptoms, now much, much improved but not completely gone.
I turned 76 in June of this year and had been very healthy before Covid.
It feels like such a dilemma for those of us who are on the cusp of being āoldā without any other health issues. Thereās at least one study out there showing that Paxlovid isnāt particularly helpful if you are not in the āat riskā groups. And that it isnāt warding off long Covid like they hoped. But is 64 and healthy at risk? I think about it a lot actually. I was super pro Paxlovid earlier. Now. . . I will ask my doctor when I go for a checkup next week. I am pretty anti Tamiflu, the side effects donāt seem worth the very tiny shorter sickness it gives.
1 Like
I have had Covid twice. It was worse the first time - like a bad flu. There was really nothing to take at that time. When I got it again last February, my body had experienced Covid & I had had several vaccinations against it by that time. It was more like a cold. I didnāt feel any need to take anything for it. I am 64 and healthy. I donāt advise anyone one way or the other about Paxlovid - itās a personal choice.
2 Likes
The problem with Paxlovid is that the decision to use it or not must be made early ā often earlier than when you know how severe COVID-19 will be for you. So whether you made the ācorrectā choice may not be known until afterward, or may not be known at all (e.g. you take Paxlovid and have a mild case, but would it have been mild without Paxlovid?).
1 Like
We all took paxlovid when we had covid. We are all asthmatic. Of the 4 of us, only s had the metallic taste from Paxlovid. It made a world of difference for me, once I was able to keep it down (too much nausea initially). Only H had rebound and a prolonged course of covid, so he took 9 days of Paxlovid. We would take Paxlovid again if we get covid againāthere seems very few reasons not to take it for us and potential benefit.
This is the question right? Iām always a little mystified by people who say that Paxlovid made their Covid case much milder. How would you know? Covid generally gets milder every time you have it. Iāve had it three times, each more mild than the last and none serious.
1 Like
Given what youāve shared about your medical conditions I would take Paxlovid in your position. You are the people it really helps to prevent hospitalization!
Free Covid tests are available again from US government.
Four tests per household, as before.
Order here:
For me, I had nausea and could barely pull myself off the bed. Once I was able to tolerate Paxlovid, it was like a switch went on and I rapidly started feeling better. It was quite a dramatic improvement for me. Others have had varying experiences, even in my household.
Interestingā¦I asked my pcp (internal med dr) if she would prescribe Paxlovid before I leave for Europe next year for 3 weeks and she said ādefinitelyā to have it on hand if Iām stuck on a boat and on tours with a bunch of folks. Europe seems to get it before US.
It looks like overall COVID-19 levels are declining, and KP.3.1.1 is still the largest variant (with other JN.1 descendants including XEC being the other main ones). Perhaps the summer wave and the belated KP.2 and JN.1 vaccine availability have now reduced the availability of people that JN.1 descendants can infect.
But will the virus find another way to mutate to be different enough from JN.1 and its descendants in order to have a greater chance of infecting people in the future?
1 Like
We just received our free Covid tests - but they expire in less than 2 months. Thatās the UPDATED expiration date from the FDA website (The date on the box was over a year ago). Iām guessing the free tests are a method of reducing an aging stockpile? If youāre ordering tests, you may want to wait a few months to see if theyāve cleared out the first batches?
4 Likes
Same here. My new free test kits are only good for two months and that is with the new expiration dates.
1 Like
The expiration dates could be extended again as it frequently happened in the past.
Also due in December and that is one year past the original
expiration date.
1 Like
Just some info, not sure it helps anyone since Covid is so variant and individuals are truly individual in how they handle the variants - but, my youngest and middle son just returned from 2 weeks in Germany, the last week in Berlin where Covid was running a bit rampant. My youngest son got his booster (not the new XEC) about 3 weeks before he left for Germany but my middle son and his girlfriend were not able to. They both got Covid and were sick for the last 3 days in Berlin while the youngest who stayed in the same AirB&B with them and was with them until they got sick, never did catch it. Heās been home since Friday, no Covid.
5 Likes