It seems like the US is at the start of another pandemic wave. But this time, we have treatments for it. In December 2021, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a pill Paxlovid that helps people with COVID stay healthy and not get as sick. It also helps keep the virus from spreading. The FDA is the federal agency responsible for protecting public health by assuring the wellbeing, efficacy, and security of veterinary drugs and human, vaccines, and other biological products for human use and medical devices. The agency approved a new drug, also called Lagevrio (molnupiravir), for the treatment of COVID, which is beneficial but tends to be relatively less protective than Paxlovid. Paxlovid reportedly has been as high as 88% clinically effective in cases likely to face death and hospitalization.
The health leaders say that the recent increase in COVID cases hasn’t reflected in hospitalizations and deaths like before, and the use of treatments including Paxlovid can throw some light on this. As of June 3, 2022, over 22k people were down with COVID across the US, and nearly 250 cases of death occurred each day. This figure represents the situation after the country clocked one million coronavirus deaths. While the country is still seeing over 11k infections a day, excluding the number of home tests, you may want to learn about the antiviral medicine Paxlovid. Here is some crucial information.
Paxlovid treatment and risks
Treatment doses
The medicine is for kids (12 years and more), and adults found with mild to moderate levels of COVID infection. The doctors give this treatment to high-risk individuals who can die or get severely ill, ultimately ending up in the hospital bed. So, mainly this drug treats cases that also have underlying conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disorder, cancer, obesity, blood pressure, and others. Even those who have not taken vaccination also get this treatment. As you are aware, nearly 30% of 3,442 participants in a survey by MyBioSource revealed that their stance over COVID rules (in these last two years) has distanced them from their near and dear ones.
Coming back to the doses, a patient must take three pills twice every day for a five-day duration. And this prescription begins immediately after the diagnosis or with the onset of symptoms in the first five days. Not starting with the doses within a suitable timeframe may mean a loss of opportunity in terms of health benefits. However, it is a prescription medicine, which one cannot take without getting the infection or even after it for prevention. Only COVID-positive individuals can be eligible. Those with severe COVID-19 symptoms in the hospital can also not take it.
Do you wonder what those three pills are? Of them, two are nirmatrelvir pills that stop the virus from spreading in your system, and the third one, ritonavir, enables nirmatrelvir to work for a longer time in your body at its best capacity.
Side effects
As with others, Paxlovid comes with its share of risks. A patient can experience muscle pain, diarrhea, and high blood pressure. Some may also find it tastes like metal. Also, People with kidney problems or HIV cannot use this treatment. If they consume these pills, the compounds of this medicine can adversely react. For example, you will want to avoid it if you are on a blood-thinning medication like warfarin or antibiotics, such as erythromycin. Even those who take trazodone or bupropion (antidepressants) may not be eligible for it.
Paxlovid in treating COVID severity
According to a study, the medicine has proved to be 88% effective in preventing coronavirus-led death and hospitalization. The study involved almost 2100 adult participants with co-existing medical disorders. Of them, only about 0.8% of people succumbed to death or got hospitalized. In concrete terms, about 8 of 2,085 people had such experiences. Some experts believe that even though most studies have examined its effectiveness among unvaccinated people, it doesn’t imply that vaccinated people cannot benefit from it.
The fear of rebound infections
Some people who had gone for Paxlovid treatment tested positive within a few subsequent days of testing negative. The health experts address this occurrence as rebound infections. The CDC health advisory suggests that symptoms of rebound infection have a higher chance of reappearing. The reported cases, however, have been milder and got their resolution in three days. No one complained of severity. According to the CDC, these people didn’t require further treatment or therapies. As a responsible citizen and American, you need to know that rebound infections are contagious, though their degree is unclear. Plus, the re-infected group has to quarantine for five days and follow the mandate of 10 days of masking after the diagnosis or the appearance of the symptoms.
The health experts say that numerous COVID treatments are available, and a patient’s response to them varies based on their medical record, requirements, and other variants. However, what is indubitable is that Paxlovid has been a coveted therapy for coronavirus patients.