January 16, 2023
Dodging the rebound
Knock on wood, but I still haven’t tested positive for COVID, despite Jamie having it. Granted, over the past week, we used different bathrooms, slept in different rooms, ate apart, and wore masks. I’m amazed but tired of the quarantine.
Jamie did well and did not have many symptoms at all, feeling back to normal within a day or two of starting Paxlovid. He does have rebound with a positive COVID test two days after finishing his meds. He had tested negative while taking them. He feels fine, but he’s ready to have this over with and get back to the world again. This means we continue our masking and distancing for now, probably until he tests negative again.
For me, I’m relieved that we’re both OK, the vaccines and meds worked to keep us healthy. Such a relief, after living under this invisible threat for almost 3 years.
Paxlovid saves lives so try to get some if you get COVID-19, especially if older or have risk factors. I have heard that some doctors or HMO’s are not easily prescribing it. If you have trouble, check with a Test and Treat Center, or some pharmacy based clinics to get some.
I attribute most of my dodging COVID to masking and our quality air filters that we have been running non-stop. I bought a second air filter on sale this fall after Seattle suffered the “worst air quality in the world” due to nearby forest fires. We already had one from the prior set of smokiness. Getting a second one made sense. I’m glad I bought it! You can easily make your own high quality filter- get 4 furnace filters and a box fan plus duct tape. Instructions below.
Masking and ventilation continue to work. Which is good to remember if you’re flying anywhere. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been found in the wastewater of 96 percent of airplane flights in one study. Wear a good mask when you travel, keep it on as much as possible.
And who knows, maybe I really am a super dodger. I don’t want to test it, so I’ll keep masking as needed.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available. Thanks for reading.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/well/live/covid-symptoms-rebound-paxlovid.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/briefing/covid-treatment-paxlovid.html
https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/seattle-portland-worlds-worst-air-quality-wildfires-rcna53166
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/01/13/air-filter-diy-covid/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12CK7luxkK2RnA8xDacrJ0jJnYfmOfVKU/view
https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/coronavirus-found-in-samples-from-96-percent-of-flights
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/covid-super-dodgers-boston-doctors-explain-why-some-people-still-havent-been-infected/ar-AA100jSv
