Can we talk COVID and how it affected you financially, emotionally, physically, etc?

[QuarterMillionMan]

That is just like getting the flu shot today from 2020, instead of getting the flu shot of 2022.

[QuarterMillionMan]

For the monkey pox shot the only qualifying question asked was if I'm consider myself high risk. Very easy to qualify.

[rennigade]

While scheduling my appt for my 2nd dose of monkey pox for this weekend at Los Angeles county sponsored sites, I noticed most sites are offering Pfizer 1/2, Moderna 1/2, Novavax, or the bivalents of Pfizer or Moderna. It got me thinking with the variants of COVID, why even offer the old Pfizer 1/2 or Moderna 1/2. Just offer the bivalants at this stage of the game.

Just to keep you and everyone else informed. The latest booster for covid has not been tested on humans. It was tested on 8 mice though so that's good I suppose. I posted a video with real data and info but it was removed. It's only fair that people know these things before getting the injection. But, I am a firm believer that people should be able to do what they want to their body as long as they know the details.

[ua_guy]

The annual flu shot isn’t tested on humans, either. Oh noes! Saying the bivalent Covid vaccine was only tested on mice is true but is missing context - and that’s what makes fake news, fake.

The Covid vaccine formulation is known low-risk, and with Covid mutating faster than trials and vaccine manufacturers can keep up. The risk of putting it out there ASAP is believed to be of greater benefit than not.

All this information is easily found on the internet or asking our resident doctor. Why one would post an 8 minute YouTube video spreading fear and blaming politics just…doesn’t seem helpful.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Completed my last dose just now of monkeypox at a public rec center outdoors with tents. More staff than patients maybe ratio of 5:1, including COVID shots. Everyone wearing masks outdoors, usually I don't wear masks outdoors but I put mine's on so as not to stand out and look like a sore thumb and look like the odd man. Heard staff talking about treatments are free for COVID which makes sense if big government wants to continue to make strides w/COVID. But it perked my ears up when I heard free treatments for COVID not being used to free treatments and everything has a cost. So if I get COVID and go to my private doctor and have to pay the $10 co-pay, will big government reimburse me that $10? And when I pick my prescription at CVS no charge or do I pay then get reimbursed by big government?

[ua_guy]

Completed my last dose just now of monkeypox at a public rec center outdoors with tents. More staff than patients maybe ratio of 5:1, including COVID shots. Everyone wearing masks outdoors, usually I don't wear masks outdoors but I put mine's on so as not to stand out and look like a sore thumb and look like the odd man. Heard staff talking about treatments are free for COVID which makes sense if big government wants to continue to make strides w/COVID. But it perked my ears up when I heard free treatments for COVID not being used to free treatments and everything has a cost. So if I get COVID and go to my private doctor and have to pay the $10 co-pay, will big government reimburse me that $10? And when I pick my prescription at CVS no charge or do I pay then get reimbursed by big government?

A medication like Paxlovid antiviral treatment is free from the perspective that you’ve already paid for it with your tax dollars. The federal government bought a huge supply of the stuff and distributed it to States.

The pharmacy should not be billing you or your insurance for it, so there should be no cost, no copays or co-insurance at the counter.

How you get Paxlovid could involve cost, but it doesn’t have to. Pharmacists are allowed to prescribe it directly to you without a separate visit to a doctor. If you have Covid (positive test) you can walk into your pharmacy and ask to be treated with Paxlovid. Certain states offer free telehealth visits through their Departments of Health for Covid treatment.

It works… when I got Covid that’s what I did. I actually called my doc and asked how it worked. Went to the pharmacy, picked up a box of Paxlovid, no charge and
my insurance wasn’t billed.

[disneysteve]

A medication like Paxlovid antiviral treatment is free from the perspective that you’ve already paid for it with your tax dollars. The federal government bought a huge supply of the stuff and distributed it to States.

The pharmacy should not be billing you or your insurance for it, so there should be no cost, no copays or co-insurance at the counter.

How you get Paxlovid could involve cost, but it doesn’t have to. Pharmacists are allowed to prescribe it directly to you without a separate visit to a doctor. If you have Covid (positive test) you can walk into your pharmacy and ask to be treated with Paxlovid. Certain states offer free telehealth visits through their Departments of Health for Covid treatment.

It works… when I got Covid that’s what I did. I actually called my doc and asked how it worked. Went to the pharmacy, picked up a box of Paxlovid, no charge and
my insurance wasn’t billed.

Correct. The treatment itself is covered but the evaluation leading up to the treatment could have a cost, like an office copay to see your doctor.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Upon reading ua_guy's response, I have a follow up question. So let's say I have symptoms of COVID and do a self-test and it comes up positive, I can go straight to CVS and request Paxlovid? That would be ideal and beats having to waste 1/2 a day at my doctor's office first.

[kork13]

Upon reading ua_guy's response, I have a follow up question. So let's say I have symptoms of COVID and do a self-test and it comes up positive, I can go straight to CVS and request Paxlovid? That would be ideal and beats having to waste 1/2 a day at my doctor's office first.

I believe that yes, you could -- as DS said, the pharmacist would write the Rx themselves. The self tests are fairly reliable for positive readings (though false negatives are still not uncommon).

[ua_guy]

Upon reading ua_guy's response, I have a follow up question. So let's say I have symptoms of COVID and do a self-test and it comes up positive, I can go straight to CVS and request Paxlovid? That would be ideal and beats having to waste 1/2 a day at my doctor's office first.

Yes--If that CVS location is part of the program. It's called the "Test to Treat" program administered by the HHS/US Department of Health & Human Services, and they have a locator service via their website.

https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx

[QuarterMillionMan]

Good to know, thanks guys.

[disneysteve]

Upon reading ua_guy's response, I have a follow up question. So let's say I have symptoms of COVID and do a self-test and it comes up positive, I can go straight to CVS and request Paxlovid? That would be ideal and beats having to waste 1/2 a day at my doctor's office first.

No reason to "waste 1/2 a day" at the doctor. Are there urgent cares in your area? Do they, or your own doctor, offer telehealth services? Here, if you have COVID symptoms, you can do a telehealth visit with our urgent care. If you've already tested positive for COVID, they can prescribe Paxlovid for you. If you need a test, they can send you for a curbside test at one of our physical locations. You don't even get out of your car. When the result comes back, they call you and then prescribe if appropriate.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Yes lots of urgent care places in LA but not sure it they or my Dr. Does telehealth, but that'd be the best way to go about it, lol. But even better is ua_guy's recommendations to see if test to treat is available in my area which I'd do if needed. Bypass the doc and go straight to the source for plaxovid.

[myrdale]

There are pretty broad indications for the pneumonia vaccine. Everyone under 5 or 65 or older and anyone 5-64 with any medical risk factors.

For my own reasons I wanted to get started on the pneumonia vaccine. The pharmacist decided he did was not going to give me the vaccine because I was not inside the group you listed and did not have any of the predetermined conditions listed by the CDC. When I asked what those conditions were, he said "it wasn't his job to educate" me. After looking up the list myself, I returned an hour later. In that hour I had discovered the pleasures of cigarettes and was now a smoker, which is a listed group.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The pharmacist sounded cocky saying not his job. Very unprofessional and unhelpful.