Covid Pill

[NSWP]

Would be good if the ship's doctors stocked up on it, but they will be charging much more than any PBS subsidy applied here.  The GP's here won't be handing them out like lollies, one would have to have symptoms or be crook as Rookwood from the lurgy.

[arxcards]

18 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Possibly  only those who are hospitalised 

Not for this one. As with the article, people in high risk demos ASAP after showing symptoms & testing positive. Not so much a cure, but as an inhibitor. Not to say they wouldn't use it in hospitals, but the aim is to prevent severe illness from occurring. 

 

There have been two other anti-virals that are TGA approved, but only one of them is prescribed at the onset of symptoms. I don't know if this one is meant to be better, or if Pfizer is just good at marketing their product.

[Aus Traveller]

8 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Would be good if the ship's doctors stocked up on it, but they will be charging much more than any PBS subsidy applied here.  The GP's here won't be handing them out like lollies, one would have to have symptoms or be crook as Rookwood from the lurgy.

Princess is the only cruise line that I know has publicised its COVID protocols. They announced that all medical centre visits and treatment related to COVID will be free of charge.

[Aus Traveller]

10 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Not for this one. As with the article, people in high risk demos ASAP after showing symptoms & testing positive. Not so much a cure, but as an inhibitor. Not to say they wouldn't use it in hospitals, but the aim is to prevent severe illness from occurring. 

 

There have been two other anti-virals that are TGA approved, but only one of them is prescribed at the onset of symptoms. I don't know if this one is meant to be better, or if Pfizer is just good at marketing their product.

When I tested positive and reported it on the Q'ld government website, a doctor from the virtual-COVID ward phoned me, and every day for the rest of the week, a nurse phoned to check how I was going. I had to report temp, oximeter reading and heart rate as well as answering a list of questions about symptoms. I had already borrowed my daughter's oximeter, but during the first call, the doctor said they would have one delivered to me if I didn't have one. She also checked that I had various medications. If not, they would have them delivered.

 

I passed the virus on to my husband ☹️ most likely before I knew I was positive, because we isolated within our home after my test. He also received the calls from the virtual-COVID ward. This service was fantastic. It gave us confidence that we were OK managing the way we were.

 

The key recommendations were - rest (listen to your body) and drink plenty of fluids. My daughter and I were out yesterday and someone she knew told her that he had COVID, but he got rid of it by running for extended periods. He had the theory that he "got rid of it out of his body". Wow! She told him that this approach was very dangerous for his heart.

[NSWP]

24 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Princess is the only cruise line that I know has publicised its COVID protocols. They announced that all medical centre visits and treatment related to COVID will be free of charge.

That is good, but will they have the Covid Pill and ample stocks of same ? Time will tell.

[arxcards]

39 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

When I tested positive and reported it on the Q'ld government website, a doctor from the virtual-COVID ward phoned me, and every day for the rest of the week, a nurse phoned to check how I was going. I had to report temp, oximeter reading and heart rate as well as answering a list of questions about symptoms. I had already borrowed my daughter's oximeter, but during the first call, the doctor said they would have one delivered to me if I didn't have one. She also checked that I had various medications. If not, they would have them delivered.

 

I passed the virus on to my husband ☹️ most likely before I knew I was positive, because we isolated within our home after my test. He also received the calls from the virtual-COVID ward. This service was fantastic. It gave us confidence that we were OK managing the way we were.

 

The key recommendations were - rest (listen to your body) and drink plenty of fluids. My daughter and I were out yesterday and someone she knew told her that he had COVID, but he got rid of it by running for extended periods. He had the theory that he "got rid of it out of his body". Wow! She told him that this approach was very dangerous for his heart.

Depending on symptoms during your consult, that would be the perfect opportunity for prescribing an anti-viral if they thought it was necessary. Yep, listen to your body.

[Aus Traveller]

26 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Depending on symptoms during your consult, that would be the perfect opportunity for prescribing an anti-viral if they thought it was necessary. Yep, listen to your body.

Exactly. An example - On day 5, I was concerned that a bacterial infection might be starting up in my chest. When I reported that to the nurse in my morning phone consult, she asked if I would like to speak to a doctor. I said I'd wait a few hours and see. She said I had to phone by 4.30 pm if I needed antibiotics delivered that day. My condition didn't deteriorate and I was OK. The care from Q'ld Health was fantastic.

[LittleFish1976]

Very limited groups of people eligible for PBS funded supply of these drugs. Don't know how much it would be under the PBS or if you could buy it without PBS on the recommendation of your GP and if so, how much that would be - probably prohibitively expensive.

 

from the Health Dept web site:

 

'

Clinical criteria for PBS listed Lagevrio and Paxlovid:

• People 65 years or older with two additional high-risk factors for developing severe disease,
• People 75 years or older with one additional high-risk factor for developing severe disease,
• Moderately to severely immunocompromised people irrespective of vaccination status, and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years or older with two additional high-risk factors for developing severe disease'

[MicCanberra]

I don't know what the high risk factors may be, but I am not sure the group would be that small.

[Porky55]

15 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Very limited groups of people eligible for PBS funded supply of these drugs. Don't know how much it would be under the PBS or if you could buy it without PBS on the recommendation of your GP and if so, how much that would be - probably prohibitively expensive.

 

from the Health Dept web site:

 

'

Clinical criteria for PBS listed Lagevrio and Paxlovid:

• People 65 years or older with two additional high-risk factors for developing severe disease,
• People 75 years or older with one additional high-risk factor for developing severe disease,
• Moderately to severely immunocompromised people irrespective of vaccination status, and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years or older with two additional high-risk factors for developing severe disease'

There is a possibility that a lot of people that fall into the above groups are also medically unvaccinated - for all of the above reasons - and so the Covid19 tablet is exactly what they require. 

[frantic36]

I just wanted to so thank you all for starting this discussion as it was timely. My sister in Melbourne who is over 70 with underlying health issues tested positive for Covid on Friday. When I spoke to her yesterday she wasn't very good but after having read through this discussion it reminded me of what I should make sure she has access to, ie pulse oximeter and had registered so she would be getting daily health checks. She did get those organised.Thankfully she sounds better today.

 

I have still suggested she follows up with a telehealth call with her doctor tomorrow because she might still be eligible for Pavloxid.

 

I forgot to mention she is vaccinated and had her first booster.

Edited May 1, 2022 by frantic36

[Aus Traveller]

8 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

I just wanted to so thank you all for starting this discussion as it was timely. My sister in Melbourne who is over 70 with underlying health issues tested positive for Covid on Friday. When I spoke to her yesterday she wasn't very good but after having read through this discussion it reminded me of what I should make sure she has access to, ie pulse oximeter and had registered so she would be getting daily health checks. She did get those organised.Thankfully she sounds better today.

 

I have still suggested she follows up with a telehealth call with her doctor tomorrow because she might still be eligible for Pavloxid.

 

I forgot to mention she is vaccinated and had her first booster.

Our situation is similar - in our 70s (Peter nearly 80) and had one booster. The key advice we were given was to rest (listen to your body) and drink plenty of fluids. I hope your sister has only a mild illness and recovers fully very soon.🙂

[NSWP]

Having my second booster on Wednesday. Too many needles in past couple of weeks, flu needle, B12 needle, and so it goes on.

[MicCanberra]

Good luck Les

[NSWP]

3 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Good luck Les

Cheers mate.

[cruisine21]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:49 AM, Aus Traveller said:

When I tested positive and reported it on the Q'ld government website, a doctor from the virtual-COVID ward phoned me, and every day for the rest of the week, a nurse phoned to check how I was going. I had to report temp, oximeter reading and heart rate as well as answering a list of questions about symptoms. I had already borrowed my daughter's oximeter, but during the first call, the doctor said they would have one delivered to me if I didn't have one. She also checked that I had various medications. If not, they would have them delivered.

 

I passed the virus on to my husband ☹️ most likely before I knew I was positive, because we isolated within our home after my test. He also received the calls from the virtual-COVID ward. This service was fantastic. It gave us confidence that we were OK managing the way we were.

 

The key recommendations were - rest (listen to your body) and drink plenty of fluids. My daughter and I were out yesterday and someone she knew told her that he had COVID, but he got rid of it by running for extended periods. He had the theory that he "got rid of it out of his body". Wow! She told him that this approach was very dangerous for his heart.

That is excellent service. NSW residents don’t get anything like that.

[frantic36]

20 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I hope your sister has only a mild illness and recovers fully very soon.🙂

 

Thank you for your kind wishes. 🙂

 

The follow up. My sister called me regarding how to know when to be concerned re pulse oximeter readings. Her pulse was very irregular and kept dropping to unacceptable levels. Thankfully her oxygen saturation levels were reasonable at 96-97% though had apparently been as low as 93% the day before 😟

 

I got her to call the daily Victorian health check line which she registered with because she tested positive.  They suggested a visit to hospital but she was reluctant but agreed to do a telehealth with a GP service. That GP told her to get to hospital for monitoring via non-urgent ambulance. Thankfully she listened. She was kept in hospital for 12 hours where they monitored her and the cardiac team there tweaked her medication. She is home now feeling much better without the "hiccup" feeling in her chest. 

 

I don't think she got any Covid Pill though. I haven't spoken to her this morning to check.

 

My suggestion is people older or at risk have a pulse oximeter in their home. I got mine from Chemist Warehouse for a reasonable price. 

[Aus Traveller]

Good idea to buy an oximeter. They are not expensive. My sister-in-law bought one on eBay for $12. My daughter paid $40 at a pharmacy. She suggested that I should buy one. I didn't 😁 so when I tested positive she brought some emergency supplies and also her oximeter. Obviously she kept well away from us and we all wore masks.

[possum52]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:27 AM, frantic36 said:

I know some people in their 40s who actually felt very unwell for a few days even though vaccinated and boosted. They had high fevers, body aches and a nasty cough. Others I know had very mild symptoms like you had. 

 

 

Since you need to take the tablets within a few days of getting symptoms for it to work they wouldn't be able to wait necessarily for someone to be hospitalised. I think it will be prescribed by GPs for at risk people when they present with symptoms and test positive.

 

Hoping that in the future it is more widely available like Tamiflu is now and the general public can get some more easily via prescription. 

My brother in law tested positive a couple of weeks ago. He did the online reporting of his positive test and because he has pre-existing conditions was contacted by his local authority (in NSW) to say that they had put some medication and oximeter in his letterbox. 

[LittleFish1976]

23 hours ago, Porky55 said:

There is a possibility that a lot of people that fall into the above groups are also medically unvaccinated - for all of the above reasons - and so the Covid19 tablet is exactly what they require. 

 

Please don't think I am suggesting those groups listed shouldn't be eligible for the covid treatments! That is not what I am saying at all.

 

My point was that there are people who fall outside those groups (i.e. people under 65 or those with some immuno-compromise but not moderate to severe) who would honestly require those pills but perhaps have difficulty accessing them in time for them to make a difference to their health outcome.  I am in such a category and getting covid terrifies me despite being immunised and boosted.

 

The government has made the access as limited as it has because the drugs are expensive.

 

 

[LittleFish1976]

On 4/30/2022 at 8:27 PM, MicCanberra said:

I don't know what the high risk factors may be, but I am not sure the group would be that small.

 

I'm sure there are a lot of people in some of those groups but the number of groups is limited.

 

I'm disappointed they chose 65 as the lower end of the 'at risk' age group when people over 60 (in fact, those over 50) are at increased risk of getting more ill with covid than younger people.

 

I'm also frustrated that their category of immunocompromise is so limited but I'm getting used to that.

 

 

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

My brother in law tested positive a couple of weeks ago. He did the online reporting of his positive test and because he has pre-existing conditions was contacted by his local authority (in NSW) to say that they had put some medication and oximeter in his letterbox. 

I am very impressed with these services from Queensland, Victoria and NSW. I am going to check whether we have similar here in WA just in case we need it.