JustCare

Tag: Paxlovid

  • Coronavirus: When public health emergency ends, so will some Covid coverage

    Coronavirus: When public health emergency ends, so will some Covid coverage

    The President has declared May 11 as the date for an end to the Covid-19 public health emergency. Rachel Cohrs reports for Stat that once the public health emergency ends, older adults and people with disabilities will be at greater risk of not getting needed care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers Medicare, says that people with Medicare will face higher costs for  Covid-19 tests and treatments.

    People with Medicare currently get free Covid-19 tests. They also get Paxlovid, a prescription drug which treats Covid-19, for free. Come May 11, Covid-19 tests will no longer be free. Paxlovid will remain free until supplies run out, most likely in the summer. But, people with Medicare could have out-of-pocket costs for other treatments.

    Comprehensive coverage of Covid-19 tests and treatment is critical for people with Medicare; older adults are more likely to die of Covid than working people or any other age group. Paula Span reports for the New York Times that in January alone, 10,600 people with Medicare died of Covid, which represented 90 percent of all Covid deaths last month. Overall, people with Medicare over 75 represent 75 percent of Covid deaths–8,500 deaths in January.

    People with Medicare are also five times more likely to be hospitalized because of Covid-19 than younger people. Hospitalizations and deaths are higher than they should be for people with Medicare because six in ten of them have not received the bivalent booster.

    What Covid-related services will Medicare cover after the Covid public health emergency ends? After the public health emergency ends, vaccines, lab tests, and antigen tests that a physician or other health care provider orders will remain free for people with Medicare. If there are monoclonal antibody treatments that are effective, they will also be covered through the end of 2023.

    Insurers covering working people have yet to determine how much their enrollees will pay for Covid-19 tests and treatments once the public health emergency ends.

    People with Medicaid will continue to get free vaccines once the public health emergency ends. But, they will not have protections against out-of-pocket costs for Covid testing and treatments beginning January 2025.

    People who are uninsured are most at risk at the end of the public health emergency. States will no longer have funding through Medicaid to cover their Covid-19 tests, vaccines and treatments.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Booster shots and Paxlovid

    Coronavirus: Booster shots and Paxlovid

    As much as we might wish for an end to the coronavirus, it continues to rear its ugly head, mutating along the way. What’s new? A booster shot better suited to new versions of the virus, along with some evidence that a dose of Paxlovid to treat the virus may lead to a Covid recurrence.

    As for the new Moderna and Pfizer booster shot, millions of doses should be ready for prime time in mid-September, reports The New York Times. And, they claim that it is better able to fight the Omicron BA.5 variant than the original shot. So, if you have not yet been boosted or are ready for yet another booster, you might consider holding out another month.

    This new booster is expected to better strengthen your immunity to the virus. And, this is important. Scientists are expecting a new Covid-19 wave beginning in the Fall.

    This all said, the administration’s position appears to be that if you are over 50 and have not yet gotten a booster shot, you should get it now. Covid infections are on the rise. I assume the administration is trying to keep Covid-19 infections at bay.

    N.B.: Officials are warning against getting two booster shots in close proximity. If you get one now, don’t get one in September. There is a rare heart disease, myocarditis, that can be a side effect. Getting two shots in a row increases the risk of this side effect.

    Experts also say that getting a second shot soon after the first is of no benefit. You already have your antibodies from the first shot. Those antibodies keep the second shot from working.

    If you do get Covid, talk to your doctor about getting Paxlovid, especially if you’re over 60.  Paxlovid, an anti-viral, is intended for people at risk of serious illness from Covid. It is designed to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. It’s the drug President Biden took to treat his virus. It should quell your symptoms, but with a big catch.

    Some people who take the drug, and then test negative, experience a Covid rebound–they get Covid again a few days later!!! That’s what happened to President Biden, who tested positive, after taking Paxlovid and testing negative, but had no symptoms the second time round.

    The government says not to be concerned if you take Paxlovid, test negative and a few days later test positive. And, no one is suggesting you need to take another round of Paxlovid if that happens.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: If you have Medicare, it’s time for a second booster

    Coronavirus: If you have Medicare, it’s time for a second booster

    The coronavirus pandemic may appear to be waning in the US, but COVID-19 continues to rear its ugly head around the world, and cases of the BA.22 variant continue to emerge and persist in the US. By now, everyone with Medicare should have had the COVID-19 vaccine and booster to protect themselves from needless hospitalizations. William Lamb reports for the New York Times  on why, when it comes to the coronavirus, extra protection is valuable; everyone over 60 should get a second booster.

    Why get the fourth COVID shot? Evidence from Israel suggests that the fourth shot could prevent you from getting COVID-19, and it could also keep you from becoming seriously ill and dying. The early vaccine shots helped give you immunity against COVID-19. That immunity is now waning.

    Which shots are approved? If you’re 60 or older, the FDA has approved second booster shots of both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. We don’t yet have evidence of their efficacy for people under 60.

    How dangerous is the COVID-19 BA.2 variant? We still don’t know whether the BA.2 variant causes more disease than other variants. What we do know is that fewer people are hospitalized with COVID-19 today than since the start of the pandemic.

    Will a second booster shot keep you from getting COVId-19? A second booster shot might not keep you from getting COVID-19. But, it might. Even if it does not keep you from infection, it reduces your risk of becoming seriously ill.

    What if I get COVID-19? If you’re over 60 or immunocompromised and you get COVID, call your doctor. Your doctor can prescribe you a new drug, Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill, which should reduce your risk of hospitalization significantly.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: A new pill treats the virus

    Coronavirus: A new pill treats the virus

    A new pill, Paxlovid, treats the novel coronavirus after you become infected. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for emergency use. Three infectious disease experts at Yale Medicine explain that Paxlovid is an antiviral pill that can prevent older people and immunocompromised people from being hospitalized and dying as a result of COVID-19.

    How do you get Paxlovid? Your doctor must prescribe it for you and can do so if you test positive for COVID-19. Anyone over 18 who weighs at least 88 pounds can get a prescription if they are at “high risk” of getting a severe case of COVID-19, either because of age or a serious underlying medical condition, such as diabetes or cancer.

    How quickly must I take Paxlovid for it to work? You must take Paxlovid within five days of getting COVID-19 symptoms. If you wait longer, there is a high likelihood that COVID will have already affected your system, and Paxlovid will not be able to erase its effects.

    How well does Paxlovid work? You take a three-pill dose two times each day for five days. Nearly nine in ten fewer people who took Paxlovid in a clinical trial were hospitalized than those who did not.

    How much does Paxlovid cost? It’s free so long as the COVID-19 public health emergency continues. As of now, the public health emergency will last at least until July.

    Is Paxlovid the only drug that treats COVID-19? Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) also treats COVID-19, but its efficacy in terms of preventing hospitalization is not nearly as good as Paxlovid. Paxlovid is also far easier to take than remdesivir, which is administered through an IV.

    Does Paxlovid have side effects? It’s too early to know all the side effects of Paxlovid. The FDA has a fact sheet of known side effects. As a general rule, you should not have serious side effects. But, your taste buds might change slightly or you could get diarrhea. In addition, your blood pressure might increase and you could develop muscle aches.

    Can I take Paxlovid if I am taking other medicines? It depends. There are interactions if you are a transplant patient taking organ anti-rejection drugs, or if you are taking certain drugs for heart arrhythmias, or if you are taking blood thinners and cholesterol-lowering medicines.

    If I cannot take Paxlovid, are there other drugs I can take to reduce my risk of hospitalization? If it is too risky for you to take Paxlovid, you might be able to take sotrovimab (a single IV injection) and remdesivir (a three-day IV injection,) or molnupiravir, another oral medicine.

    Why should I get vaccinated and get booster shots if I can get Paxlovid? As efficacious as Paxlovid is, you are still at risk of hospitalization if you get the coronavirus. Getting the vaccine and booster shots reduce those risks.

    Here’s more from Just Care: