I tested positive for Covid last week. It was a total surprise. I thought it was just a cold, and not even a bad one at that. However, the test was indeed positive, according to my doctor, who immediately wrote a prescription for Paxlovid and sent it to my pharmacy.

When I went to pick it up, I noticed the first of many changes from my last bout of Covid, almost exactly a year ago in May 2024. First, instead of the Paxlovid not costing me anything, as was the case last year, I was told it came with a price tag of $798.72. I was shocked. Did I truly want it? Did I need it? I texted my family for advice. They immediately texted me back and said, “YES! Don’t mess with your health!” I asked the CVS person why it suddenly cost SO much. She said its “emergency authorization” status was changed and now it’s just a drug, which fell into my insurance company’s “Tier 3” category. Apparently, that category has a high deductible and I hadn’t come close to satisfying mine. Hence, the hefty price tag. I was, and continue to be, aghast. I did end up pulling out my credit card and buying it and thought of how this was not a viable treatment option for so many of us on fixed incomes.

As was the case last year, my symptoms were mercifully mild. The only really unpleasant consequences of Paxlovid was the disbelief that a drug that’s apparently still typically prescribed for senior citizens isn’t completely covered by insurance. Also, that it leaves you feeling as if you’re sucking on iron filings.

I was told by my doctor that I should “self isolate” and “take it easy” for the 5 days on the drug. That, it turns out, is old school. The CDC allows one to join the world, masked, if your symptoms are better AND you have no fever (without fever-reducing drugs) for 24 hours. Both need to be true. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/precautions-when-sick.html

Testing, which was considered essential in the old days of the pandemic, seems now to be suggested but not mandatory. That relies on the presumption that Covid will become less contagious over time, so why bother to test. The nurse in my doctor’s office, whom I consulted, told me many people couldn’t afford, or didn’t want to pay for, the test kits and just ignored taking the test anyway.

What to say except that Covid has gone from being a very scary virus to one that’s a more mainstream virus–like a cold or the flu. Both of which, regrettably, you can get again. That said, for many reasons, I hope you manage to avoid it.