I would LOVE to see a trial on Paxlovid used the way I use zinc for colds where it is started at the first hint of infection or when one knows they have been exposed. I take a specific type of zinc lozenge when I get that internal feeling that my body is fighting off a cold. If I do that for 24 hours, the cold never happens. If I am late in starting it and already have symptoms, the cold progress stops at that level and the cold duration is ½ what my normal is without zinc. IF Paxlovid is an antiviral, doctors and patients should not be waiting to start it. I know of soooo many times where drs said “wait til you have more symptoms.” That defeats the purpose. We know that long covid and post covid autoimmune diseases and organ damage is happening in a small % of patients. These are lifetime consequences for a small % of people, but a large number in total. I just had my first covid infection, most likely with the new variant FLiRT, and it was a full flu with severe disabling fatigue for 4 days. I was not able to get Paxlovid until I was at the end of my second day of infections because the dr kept saying no without explaining why. I eventually found out it was for some drugs on my med list that I no longer take or only take occasionally and was willing to skip. It was too late for Pax to do any good. I was sick for two weeks and didn’t test negative until day 16. I had to reschedule two important dr appts that now will take me 4 months to get back in. And I was stuck out of town for 5 days which was very expensive and uncomfortable vs being sick at home. Covid still is a major disease that deserves more attention on research and doctors who take more time to consider treatments. I am 62 with 3 issues that potentially could have been longer term consequences. I seem to have averted them for now, but still run a risk a new autoimmune disease will pop up that wouldn’t if I had not had a major virus. I eagerly await the long covid study, which is why I spent the money on Paxlovid despite knowing my dr’s delay meant I wasn’t being helped by Pax on current symptoms. I had the spring booster 3 weeks before the infection. It did not prevent the infection nor did it reduce the symptoms to a tolerable level. 7 people that we know of caught the virus from my family and all but one had flu like symptoms, not a minor cold.
“Excess mortality across countries in the Western World since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022 “ (BMJ Public Health 2024;2:e000282)
Has generated headlines such as this:
“COVID vaccines may have helped fuel rise in excess deaths since pandemic: study.”
I would LOVE to see a trial on Paxlovid used the way I use zinc for colds where it is started at the first hint of infection or when one knows they have been exposed. I take a specific type of zinc lozenge when I get that internal feeling that my body is fighting off a cold. If I do that for 24 hours, the cold never happens. If I am late in starting it and already have symptoms, the cold progress stops at that level and the cold duration is ½ what my normal is without zinc. IF Paxlovid is an antiviral, doctors and patients should not be waiting to start it. I know of soooo many times where drs said “wait til you have more symptoms.” That defeats the purpose. We know that long covid and post covid autoimmune diseases and organ damage is happening in a small % of patients. These are lifetime consequences for a small % of people, but a large number in total. I just had my first covid infection, most likely with the new variant FLiRT, and it was a full flu with severe disabling fatigue for 4 days. I was not able to get Paxlovid until I was at the end of my second day of infections because the dr kept saying no without explaining why. I eventually found out it was for some drugs on my med list that I no longer take or only take occasionally and was willing to skip. It was too late for Pax to do any good. I was sick for two weeks and didn’t test negative until day 16. I had to reschedule two important dr appts that now will take me 4 months to get back in. And I was stuck out of town for 5 days which was very expensive and uncomfortable vs being sick at home. Covid still is a major disease that deserves more attention on research and doctors who take more time to consider treatments. I am 62 with 3 issues that potentially could have been longer term consequences. I seem to have averted them for now, but still run a risk a new autoimmune disease will pop up that wouldn’t if I had not had a major virus. I eagerly await the long covid study, which is why I spent the money on Paxlovid despite knowing my dr’s delay meant I wasn’t being helped by Pax on current symptoms. I had the spring booster 3 weeks before the infection. It did not prevent the infection nor did it reduce the symptoms to a tolerable level. 7 people that we know of caught the virus from my family and all but one had flu like symptoms, not a minor cold.
Have studies been done regarding Paxlovid's affects on symptoms? It seems to have worked well in my case.
Thank you as always for science based reports and kindness in which you write about them!
Anxiously awaiting your article on Paxlovid and Long Covid!
Our anti-viral toolbox should include ensitrelvir, which didn't "fail" it's trial, IMO--and has full approval in Japan:
https://www.shionogi.com/us/en/news/2024/05/shionogi-provides-updates-from-scorpio-hr,-a-global-phase-3-study-of-ensitrelvir-for-non-hospitalized-participants-with-covid-19.html
On another note, a recent publication:
“Excess mortality across countries in the Western World since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022 “ (BMJ Public Health 2024;2:e000282)
Has generated headlines such as this:
“COVID vaccines may have helped fuel rise in excess deaths since pandemic: study.”
Any comments?