A word of warning about this round of COVID

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could’ve picked something up while traveling. My flights this week were full of sick people. I’d test again if I were you and then wear a mask as a precaution around DS, but if you sit downwind outside you should be Ok sans mask.

Thanks for that advice. We have been looking forward to mom and son beach weekend for a while now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll add my question here, so there is no new thread. DH tested positive last Saturday and started feeling off Friday or so. DD tested positive with symptoms on Tuesday, including a cough.
I was traveling and saw them only on Tuesday, masked. I have been with them the whole week since then. She was constantly coughing and getting into my room without a mask.
I had a sore throat yesterday, and it is getting worse. I also have a cough.
However, I just tested, and the result came back negative for COVID-19. I'm not sure what to make of this.
I have never tested positive for covid even though I was exposed several times and a pretty big exposure.
So, do I have it or not? I am supposed to go to the beach with DS this weekend. DS lives on his own, and I do not want to infect him.

I’d test again before you go.

[Anonymous]

Okay, I didn't plow this thread, but am still going to opine. Good friend undertook a 2-country international trip and returned with cough, scratchy throat, laryngitis. Couldn't shake it. Doc discouraged testing as it had been more than 5 days. Then tested some days later and was positive.

DH hacked and hacked for a week, then another week, and nearly another. He tested negative over the course of nearly 15 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, I didn't plow this thread, but am still going to opine. Good friend undertook a 2-country international trip and returned with cough, scratchy throat, laryngitis. Couldn't shake it. Doc discouraged testing as it had been more than 5 days. Then tested some days later and was positive.

DH hacked and hacked for a week, then another week, and nearly another. He tested negative over the course of nearly 15 days.

PP, who just tested negative, are you saying that my negative is false?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, I didn't plow this thread, but am still going to opine. Good friend undertook a 2-country international trip and returned with cough, scratchy throat, laryngitis. Couldn't shake it. Doc discouraged testing as it had been more than 5 days. Then tested some days later and was positive.

DH hacked and hacked for a week, then another week, and nearly another. He tested negative over the course of nearly 15 days.

Which part is the opining?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll add my question here, so there is no new thread. DH tested positive last Saturday and started feeling off Friday or so. DD tested positive with symptoms on Tuesday, including a cough.
I was traveling and saw them only on Tuesday, masked. I have been with them the whole week since then. She was constantly coughing and getting into my room without a mask.
I had a sore throat yesterday, and it is getting worse. I also have a cough.
However, I just tested, and the result came back negative for COVID-19. I'm not sure what to make of this.
I have never tested positive for covid even though I was exposed several times and a pretty big exposure.
So, do I have it or not? I am supposed to go to the beach with DS this weekend. DS lives on his own, and I do not want to infect him.

Here's an update from me: I just tested positive. I have a sore throat and an earache now, but I just deep-cleaned one of our full bathrooms, so I'm not feeling bad otherwise. It must be very spreadable. After four years of avoiding it, I am kind of upset now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many government agencies were more back to the office starting May 1st.
1st week back - super spreader event where I work with more than 5 people on my team out the next week (and some out the following week as well!

Honey, for months, my whole office has been in person, heck, since May 2022, and nobody had it for a long while; now there is this variant that is more spreadable. Give it a rest; you just don't want to work in person. I got mono in January, and it was way worse than any tiny COVID cold. You sound ridiculous. People used to get mono, the flu, and pneumonia, and nobody cared; you found an outlet for your paranoia. It is not March 2020; we know this is harmless to 99.9 percent of people.
There were kids upon kids dying in Colorado in 2003 from the flu; nobody was masked, and nobody stopped working in person. My DS had it, and his pediatrician did not say his sister had to isolate or not go to daycare. Just give it a rest with this. We know you are lazy and don't want to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I test and ask my elderly mom to test in order to get Paxlovid quickly. For both of us, it has made our symptoms disappear within hours.

+1

Unless you can't take it for some reason, why would anyone not get Paxlovid? The criteria to qualify are so broad that literally anyone can qualify. The government bought so much that they couldn't use it all before it expired. When I used it last year, the expiration date had been extended. I was using a prescription that had already expired based on it's original expiration date but not based on the extension. It still worked fine. I got better quickly. Then I got a rebound infection that felt like mild allergies for a couple of days (a lot of people talk about the rebound infections but mine was nothing).

Do people not know that you can get Paxlovid really easily?

The reason there are unused doses is that there is little demand. In addition to side effects that another PP mentioned, Paxlovid has not been shown to be effective for standard risk individuals. Most standard-risk individuals get better quickly from covid, with or without Paxlovid. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/antivirals-including-antibody-products/ritonavir-boosted-nirmatrelvir--paxlovid-/

In Pfizer's studies, the only cohort who was found to benefit were unvaccinated individuals at high risk of a severe outcome from covid. No positive link was found for vaccinated at high risk of progression or standard risk individuals. "The EPIC-SR [standard-risk] trial ... found that ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir did not reduce the duration of symptoms and did not have a statistically significant effect on the risk of hospitalization or death compared to placebo, although the event rates were low in this trial." The latter point is important. There were too few standard risk individuals who had severe outcomes from covid to tell if Paxlovid worked or not.

The other reason is it's very expensive. We have great insurance and our co-pay was still over $300. We found out later that there's a co-pay card from Pfizer that'll pay for it, so we're now filing for a refund. https://www.paxlovid.com/enroll-in-co-pay-program

My DH is fully vaccinated but he quickly became very sick and Paxlovid helped him within a day.

He was fully vaccinated but became very sick?

Last got boosted in the fall, and, yes, had difficulty breathing and a high fever within 48 hours of getting sick. Late 50's, not overweight, exercises regularly, no risk factors. Very thankful he didn't get Covid pre-vaccine, pre-Paxlovid.

[Anonymous]

Just want to add to this thread that I have COVID, but I have consistently tested negative on the nasal swab but positive on the throat swab. Back of the throat is where COVID initiates.

Many other govts - like Canada - recommend throat swabs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about covid anymore.

Uh, I do. A lot.

[Anonymous]

You are absolutely right, I wouldn’t even know as I stopped testing when it stopped being mandatory.

[Anonymous]

I picked up covid on a flight two weeks ago and I am still sick. I have done nothing but rest.

I haven't isolated the whole time but have tried to limit close exposures to avoid passing it on.

This is my third time having Covid and definitely the longest I have been sick. I have to fly again in a week. Airplanes are viral nightmares.

I think it is only respectful with any flu or virus to limit giving it to others as some people get taken down much harder than others and some don't have the resources to be off sick for days / weeks. Covid or not, if you are sick, stay home if you can until the contagion period is over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I test for information. Want to know if it's flu, covid, etc. If it's covid I definitely avoid my parents in their retirement home community.

Exactly. We test to protect the vulnerable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to add to this thread that I have COVID, but I have consistently tested negative on the nasal swab but positive on the throat swab. Back of the throat is where COVID initiates.

Many other govts - like Canada - recommend throat swabs.

I have dozens upon dozens of Canadian COVID tests, and none of the home kits asked for a throat swab. I am beating myself up for not inhaling boiled water and salt once I come back from my trip, knowing DD and DH are sick. I used to do that, per my sister's recommendation, who is a doctor, when COVID started. I am more upset about my record of never having COVID-19 being busted and ruining my beach vacation.
Having said that, today I feel like an elephant sat on me, and I have a mother of a headache and feels like the flu.

On another note, can I get Pavloxid from CVS without a prescription? My mom took it and she was worse from it, so I am not sure if I should take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I test for information. Want to know if it's flu, covid, etc. If it's covid I definitely avoid my parents in their retirement home community.

Exactly. We test to protect the vulnerable.

Does that mean you'll visit vulnerable people if you are feeling sick but test negative? What do you test for? Just COVID or also RSV, flu?

Personally if someone is vulnerable I would not visit them if I was feeling sick. People die of random bugs all the time. Even the common cold can kill someone with a weakened immune system.