Over the past year, I've lived in other places as much as in my house in Albany, New York. It takes work getting ready to live out of a suitcase for months. It is not just picking out what to bring, but it is also the lead time of getting up and out. Ergo, the time management compromise.
I miscalculated.
I knew and planned to get a booster for COVID. But as personal issues mounted, doctor visits, preparing to leave for the winter, auto-paying bills, and wrapping up disastrous business relationships. Trust me, this last part will be a blog series to remember. The fact of the matter was I left town without getting the C19 boost.
I was not particularly concerned. I wore a mask on the plane. Once down here, I spent most of my time at the stables, riding my bike, making a quick trip to the market, a museum, a historic site, and the opera. I should have known better all the places that were poorly attended (aside from the opera) and saw minor risks.
The one place I did go during peak hours was Starbucks. It is a small shop, and it is not unusual to see it packed. This is where I was exposed to C19.
Having not been boosted, and my last infection was a while ago, I had little immunity. I know the science. But whether I want to own it or not, I was no better than those who deny the existence of C19. My behavior, independent of scientific knowledge and belief, was the same as those who think COVID is a George Soros and Bill Gates deep-state project to move the United States to a socialist country.
I've had C19 before, but never with no immunity to the virus or this strain. Here is what happened—day by day.
Day One:
Infection is live. I was going to a Polo Bunch outside, and on the way, I was coughing. I was riding in a car with three others. One person asked, do you think it is Covid? I didn't. I continued to believe my exposure was low, and I remembered what it was like when I had it before. It felt nothing like the Covid I knew.
While everyone else was eating lobster, shrimp, prime rib, and dessert, I had little appetite. I started to get chilly when everyone else was feeling the heat.
At home that night, I took a home C19 test. It was positive. I made an appointment at Walgreens to get tested again the next day and get on Paxlovid.
Day 2:
I went to Walgreens for my appointment, where one pharmacist worked alone. No wonder pharmacists are quitting their jobs in droves. Note, CVS made over $125 billion in profits last year, Walgreens $26 billion. They can hire more staff. Just sayin'.
I was told my out-of-pocket cost was $1,400.00. My insurance company was not paying. Nope, the tech told me the computers have been off and on since before the weekend. The issue was resolved.
Night 2:
It was like being hit by a bus; I woke up and two changed my shirt twice—night sweats. My entire throat was on fire. Every swallow was like shards of glass scraping the insides of my neck. The outside of my neck hurt to the touch. The Choraseptic spray that I used to numb the pain now hurts to apply.
I woke up at 3 AM and was having a challenging time swallowing. I decided to get to the ER.
Wellington Hospital:
It is the cleanest, fastest Emergency Room I have ever been to. The people were so lovely. The doctor arrived in less than 15 minutes. He was a handsome guy, a regular soap opera doctor from central casting.
He was not wearing a mask. I told him that I had C19. He looked into my mouth.
"Your tonsils don't look that bad, maybe a little swollen," he lamented.
"I think you are looking at my tonsil bed," I gently suggested. I did not have tonsils.
He looked again and agreed.
"What do you do for a living," he asked, then read my intake. "Oh, you're one of the smart types," he said kindly, referencing my previous job and statistical and epidemiological training.
"So let me ask you," he said as a way to engage and make me feel included. What do you think is going on?"
"I think I have Covid, and my immunity to it is not what I thought," I said.
"So, you are on Paxlovid," I'm not sure that is the right way to go. Just not seeing the data," he said.
I said nothing.
"Let's take a CAT scan to ensure no abscess," he suggested.
"What about just scoping me," I asked. He said that it would be uncomfortable. Besides, he would
still need to rule out the possibility of the abscess.
"You know a lot about throats," he said, smiling. "Smart type, alright."
"I'd like to give you a shot of decadron to bring down the swelling," he said.
"Okay," I said.
"It's a steroid," he explained.
"Yeah, dexamethasone," I whispered.
"Forgot, you're a smart one," he said nicely. His bedside manner was so good.
He gave me a fist bump and went to CT; I returned within 15 minutes.
Results:
There is no abscess but significant swelling in my pharynx. I got the steroid shot, and he gave me a prescription for prednisone for the next five days.
Discharge:
The doctor returned with a script and one of the most professional discharge summaries I've ever seen.
"You know, the more I think about it, the symptoms people are coming in with who have COVID are different," he volunteered. "A lot of upper airway and GI symptoms."
Silence.
"What do you think? You must have dealt with the pandemic," he asked.
"Peripherally, I did. It certainly had an impact on my work."
"What would you recommend looking at it from a public health perspective?"
"I'd wear a mask if I were you," I said. "This story is not over."
"You are a smart guy, all right," he got up, shook my hand, and told me to see an ENT if things did not improve in a day or so. He gave me the contact information for one he thought was good.
It was a remarkable healthcare experience in that it was so good. And I feel so much better. He was excellent on the eye, engaged, and helped me.
But he was wrong about about Paxlovid. Independent studies at Yale New Haven, The National Institutes of Health, and other research shows excellent efficacy. In November 2022, the CDC reported on a real-world study that showed adults taking Paxlovid within five days of a COVID-19 diagnosis had a 51% lower hospitalization rate within the next 30 days than those not given the drug.
Another study showed that participants who received Paxlovid were 89% less likely to develop severe illness and death compared to trial participants who received a placebo. All the trial participants were unvaccinated and took the drug within three days of symptom onset.
The Facebook Response:
So many people reached out to me about this experience. Many said they, too, just got over a bout of C19. Many rejected taking Paxlovid because of a "friend," saying it was a bad go with the drug. Indeed, there are side effects or can be. But death is not one of them.
Science is science, and this dismissive view of it in exchange for anecdotal accounts from well-meaning friends, friends of friends, or pundits on TV and podcasts is dangerous. Frankly, it's nuts.
In a Broward county there are now at least nine cases in the county and an additional case in Polk County in Central Florida.
Several public health researchers say Florida's current response to the outbreak goes against well-established public health guidance. Florida's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has not urged parents of unvaccinated children at the school with the outbreak to get their children vaccinated or quarantine them. In a Feb. 20 letter, Ladapo left it up to parents to decide whether to send their kids to school.
The need for more sound public health policies to satiate those who get their information, wrongly from both sides, from the likes of DeSantis or Joe Kennedy Jr., is wrong.
The Facts:
The vaccines have worked, but they have limited efficacy in stopping infection long-term.
Paxlovid works.
Living here in Florida is a crap shoot when it comes to knowing what your risks are; specifically, no one is watching what is happening.
And kids need to wear helmets—screw book bans. To Return to the Home Page Click Here.