Earlier this week, President Joe Biden was reportedly diagnosed with COVID-19.
He then took the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has since tested negative for the virus.
“Mostly, we’re prescribing antivirals to the more high-risk patients,” Dr. Michelle Udayamurthy with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic said. “The other group is people who are unvaccinated. Unfortunately, they’re at high risk for complications so we’re prescribing Paxlovid.”
The antiviral is supposed to shorten the duration and severity of the disease.
Here are the recommendations for those who take it:
Take within five days of symptoms starting
Consult with your doctor if you are on blood thinners or medications for cholesterol
Side effects include:
Metallic taste
Diarrhea
Rebound COVID symptoms
“Immediately, I got that... what is called? I guess they call it ‘monster mouth’ where you get this horrific metal taste and nothing tastes good, it was just, it was bad,” explained Lisa Spain, who was prescribed Paxlovid last week for COVID.
Dr. Udayamurthy said it is fine for a healthy person to isolate and let the virus just run its course.
“A lot of times if you’re vaccinated and you’re having pretty mild symptoms and you’re pretty healthy, this should be a pretty mild course and you shouldn’t need medication,” she said.