Day 30-BA5 takes the lead
Biden has Covid…he started a 5-day course of Paxlovid…
-Biden tested positive for Covid-19. Although he is fully vaccinated and has had TWO booster shots, he still contracted Covid, probably BA5, and has begun the first dose of his obligatory 5-day Paxlovid prescription. That’s what doctors are doing now, especially for our seniors. If you’re over the age of 50, and you test positive for Covid, even if your symptoms are mild or virtually non-existent, doctors immediately prescribe Paxlovid. Once you’ve completed your 5-day course of treatment, “Paxlovid Rebound” occurs and you get Covid all over again, usually within 3 days of taking your last dose.
Pfizer - the maker of Paxlovid - says their studies show that “Rebounds” are rare, so don’t worry about it [I’m unable to locate Pfizer’s hard data for the study they keep citing and, anyway, isn’t this a conflict of interest? Why are we taking the word of Big Pharma? Shouldn’t the CDC or the FDA conduct their own independent trials of Paxlovid?]. Lets put the definition of “rare” into context: 18 million J&J vaccines were administered, globally, and 60 cases of thrombosis occurred. While 9 people did, in fact die, there was only ONE death in the United States. These outcomes would seem to be the epitomy of “rare” and yet the FDA banned the J&J vaccine.
So how did the FDA address the ‘Paxlovid Rebound’ dilemma? They issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) so doctors can prescribe it throughout the country, even though an adequate trial was never performed, AND they also issued a special exemption for Pharmacists so they can prescribe it at the counter. Sounds like Pfizer probably greased some FDA palms…
Think about it: the more prescriptions that are written, the more money the shareholders make, the bigger the campaign contributions for the next round of politicians and political campaigns. We’re the only industrialized nation that doesn’t regulate our pharmaceutical companies. This is why Insulin and the Epi pen are too expensive for regular Americans like you and I to purchase. If you have diabetes and NO insurance, quite frankly, you’re going to die, because Insulin is unaffordable in America.
Going back to the J&J scenario, once the FDA banned the J&J vaccine, that created less competition for Pfizer [“and then there were two.”]. J&J didn’t push the issue because the profit margin they made from the vaccine was miniscule compared to their “bread-and-butter” products that have been on the market for years (I actually read this). Pfizer may be a different story. They seem incredibly invested in the vaccine and ‘Covid product placement.’ I believe Covid, the variants, and other medications they can peddle related to the virus are huge money-makers for this company. They can also do “spin-offs” in addition to new vaccines every year. Paxlovid is one such spin-off [neither the vaccine nor Paxlovid seem to work, however. Clearly there’s a problem when individuals like the President of the United States are double vaxed AND double boosted AND still get Covid. Every vaccine I’ve ever had has prevented me from getting the disease I was vaccinated against EXCEPT the Covid-19 vaccine]
What is not discussed nearly enough - Pfizer consistently buries this “lead” - is that a 5-day course of Paxlovid consists of THIRTY pills. Every morning and every night, an infected patient must take two Nirmatrelvir (300 mg) and one Ritonavir (100 mg). The Ritonavir is key - if you take the Nirmatrelvir without the ‘Rito’ it won’t work. Put the fact that a 5-day course of Paxlovid equals 30 pills in your back pocket for the next minute [BTW - Pfizer says you’re not allowed to use a pill cutter. For the faint of heart who have difficulty swallowing pills, you’re SOL. But have you ever heard of a medical professional, ANYWHERE, say you can’t cut a pill? I never have, but this ‘fun fact’ is also on Pfizer’s website]
Another “lead” that Pfizer consistently buries is that Paxlovid must be prescribed “within 5 days of symptom onset.” This is also on their website. HOWEVER, what seems to be happening, anecdotally, because there are no conclusive studies, is that doctors are prescribing Paxlovid like it’s candy, regardless of whether or not the patient has passed the 5-day window. Oh you’ve got symptoms? Here’s some Paxlovid.
For example, my Mom contracted BA5 the last 5 to 6 days of our vacation; she was very symptomatic the last 3 to 4 days to be sure. On or about Day 6, Mom tested at home positive for Covid; either the next day or two days later [Day 7 or 8], she had difficulty catching her breath, so Dad drove her to the hospital, where the doctor prescribed Paxlovid. Mom was already well outside the 5-day window and there was no “Informed Consent” conversation or form that she filled out stating that she was aware of potential Paxlovid Rebound side effects, nor was she told by the doctor that she was outside the standard 5-day window. On their website, Pfizer is clear that Paxlovid is ineffective when administered after that 5 day period. More than likely, Mom took an unnecessary 5-day course of THIRTY pills when she would have improved anyway.
I wonder if it’s truly a Paxlovid “rebound” that we’ve been hearing about…Pfizer says that some people might need a longer course of treatment [great. more pills. When is enough, enough? 40? 50 pills?], but I think maybe the Paxlovid is, somehow, causing Covid. We really don’t know. This means, in the spirit of caution, shouldn’t providers refrain from prescribing Paxlovid when the patient is outside the 5-day window? In the hypothetical scenario that I’m proposing, a) the moment has passed in accordance with Pfizer’s own website; and b) Paxlovid might actually cause Covid, then why prescribe this drug outside the 5-day window, when it won’t work and it might result in a patient getting Covid a second time?
URGENT!!: If you are the victim of a Paxlovid Rebound be prepared for symptoms that are much worse than what you originally had. Nobody can explain why patients are “sicker” and fill so much worse when experiencing a Paxlovid rebound.
Last month, Fauci tested positive for Covid with minimal symptoms. His symptoms worsened so he was prescribed a 5-day course of Paxlovid, which he successfully completed. He then tested negative for Covid over the next three consecutive days. On the 4th day, he tested positive again, only this time, his symptoms were much worse. The doctor prescribed another course of Paxlovid. In 10/15 days, Fauci took 60 pills and felt worse than he did originally.
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7/21/22. Thursday
7:00-7:15-The dog wakes me up and we go downstairs to go potty. Cheese for her, coffee for me.
7:15-7:30-I bring my coffee upstairs, but go back to bed.
9:00- I wake up again with a splitting headache. Two Advil and I drink some of my coffee and lie in bed for awhile.
9:30-11:45-bullet journal and I jot down a few thoughts about L’s upcoming meeting with Tucker
11:45-12:00-I share an applesauce cake square with the dog, then
12:00-12:30-Shower.
12:30-12:45-I change into workout clothes; and do
1:00-1:25-a 15-minute Insanity Max - Ab workout.
1:25-2:00-I delete old bullet journals from my IPad; then
2:00-2:40-I do a 30-minute Insanity Max - Strength workout.
2:40-3:00 - I eat some curry leftovers that L. brought home from somewhere.
3:00-3:45- I read Things we Never Discussed.
3:45-4:30-I freshen up, put on my walking uniform, and leave for T.J. Max in accordance with my curated closet project. I have some apples and almond butter for a snack.
4:30-6:15-I’m looking for a short summer dress silhouette and I spend this time trying on dresses until I find four that fit. I feel a little guilty about the ‘fast fashion’ aspect of it - I don’t think these clothes were sustainably made. I probably won’t shop here again although fast fashion seems to be the only industry NOT affected by inflation. great. We can still look fantastic while we’re starving.
6:15-7:30-I go to Central Park to meet up with my Striders walking group. Only Candy and Gary show - it’s extremely hot today - so we walk around the park and have a nice conversation. During the conversation, Gary brings up a few places he’s been to, such as Descanso Gardens and a museum in downtown LA. I give him other suggestions for places I’ve gone to, like the Arboretum, the Huntington and its museums, the Ventura Botanical Gardens. He asks if there’s a way to hike up the side of Central Park and I mention the Harvest Moon hike that the Valencia Library sponsored last month and that TWO months ago there was another Harvest Moon hike was at Golden Ranch Open Space that I also attended. When Gary asks where Golden Ranch is I say it’s past the Placerita Nature Center, adding that Placerita has a Bird Walk the first two Saturdays of every month. Gary mentions Walker Open Space and I say that’s past Golden Ranch, on the right, and that I’ve hiked that too. I reference LACMA, and the Norton Simon...then Candy says she might take her grandkids to the La Brea Tar Pits and I discuss how much I like that museum and how they have gourmet food trucks across the street. I thought to myself, “Wow, I do a lot of stuff!” I hope it didn’t sound like I was bragging or making the conversation solely about me. I ask L about it and she says it doesn’t sound like I was bragging.
7:30-8:00 - Drive home.
8:00-8:45 - L. surfaces and we each have a glass of champagne - hers is a tiny glass of the peach champagne she asked me to order - on the patio. I go over some of the notes I prepared for her upcoming meeting with Tucker and we coordinate schedules for the remainder of this month.
9:00-10:00 - I read Things We Never Discussed
10:00-11:30-Blog post
11:30-12:15-I update course content and start loading a quiz manually into Canvas, but I’m extremely tired so I give up and shut everything down
12:15-12:30-Kitchen duty.
12:30-1:15-Sunless tanning. Nighttime routine. Bed