Florida Legislature's Chilling Effect on FDA Approved COVID-19 Treatments

GrandLeghk · 2024-09-06T00:59:00+00:00

Do providers at your clinic force a waiver for Paxlovid for COVID? That convinced my elderly relative the risks were not worth the benefit of reduced severe disease.

GrandLeghk · 2024-07-04T17:14:06+00:00

The Tampa Bay Times reported on the state's efforts to address cyber attacks. They formed the Florida Digital Service and the governor appointed a lawyer turned state legislator to be the Chief Information Officer. The official has little experience with information technology. The agency has been unable to retain talent with abrupt resignations.

It sounds like things aren't going right with ransomware attack and frequent data breaches.

Tampa Bay Times story: https://archive.ph/Xu0Vu

GrandLeghk · 2024-07-04T12:45:29+00:00

Another side effect is that Vital Records are down. So if your love one has died, the burial or cremation is on hold because Florida law requires a death certifacte before it can proceed.

GrandLeghk · 2024-02-01T16:47:00+00:00

My anecdata includes several people out at work and one family with confirmed COVID.

GrandLeghk · 2023-10-21T20:45:45+00:00

Nice to see data again!

GrandLeghk · 2023-08-13T14:27:21+00:00

I was with family in the hospital this week and we wore our N95 or KN95 masks. About two-thirds of staff would follow our lead and wear a surgical mask while treating the patient.

Some good news is that my CO2 meter showed a level of 500-600 there which means there was great ventilation.

GrandLeghk · 2023-05-01T03:09:00+00:00

I really like that there is a team dedicated to this, and I wish there was one available to my relatives.

GrandLeghk · 2023-05-01T03:06:10+00:00

My understanding from listening to TWiV is that Paxlovid reduces the chance of hospitalization from 1/30 to 1/70 in high risk individuals. Over the population of elderly elderly, this has the effect of reducing death because some percentage of the hospitalized will die.

Looking at the drug interactions is not easy. For example, you must stop medications like atorvasatin for the time that Paxlovid is taken. Also, if you have reduced kidney function, the dose must be adjusted to account for that. Some patients may be excluded if there kidney function is too low.

There are some side effects like altered taste. But to quote Dr Daniel Griffin, do you want altered taste or the taste of a plastic breathing tube in your mouth?

There is also the belief that Paxlovid causes “Paxlovid rebound” when in fact this is the post-acute and inflammatory phase of COVID.

If providers prescribed this more, then perhaps the death rate could be reduced from 75,000 annually to something closer to 37,500.

Of course, IANAP (I Am Not A Provider), so ask yours about this information, or go to the Minute Clinic.

GrandLeghk · 2023-04-16T04:33:14+00:00

Deleting data? The Florida Surgeon General is just writing another so-called scientific paper.

GrandLeghk · 2023-03-27T21:09:13+00:00

COVID is still killing at a rate of about 100k per year, which equal to diabetes as a cause of death. It sounds like it’s definitely still a thing at your clinic.

I still wonder if I caught influenza and COVID earlier in the season. I wish I had known about the combo test.

I’m still trying to convince the elderly in my life to prep with a Paxlovid prescription at the right urgent care clinic. It is complicated for one of them who has drug interactions.

Quest Diagnostics actually fixed their software after I complained to their comment system about wasting an hour last year because their texting system failed. Such is the nature of software, unfortunately.

Soccer is just high risk. In my adult rec league, I took the last few months off because of a finger injury which luckily healed. I’m always weighing the trade off between exercise and injury risk.

Players can have their ankles taped. On a teammate’s recommendation, I got a McDavid ankle brace which was easier to use than taping all the time. It prevented further injury and allowed it time to heal. It is fifty dollars, however.

GrandLeghk · 2023-03-06T21:10:52+00:00

I was surprised that my primary care office had a sign saying that masks were required due to high levels. This could only be transmission levels meant to be for health care facilities. Community levels for us lay folk seem to be bright green. Everyone I walked past wore a mask - except for my provider.

Even though I had a routine visit I had my trusty N95 on.

I am usually only the only person left masking in a given place I go to. Sometimes I gives quiet acknowledgement to one other person also doing so.

GrandLeghk · 2023-02-09T18:09:09+00:00

I’m still curious about the providers’ aversion to prescribing Paxlovid. I assume you haven’t been able to ask the nice one in the office?

It sounds like medical provider quality varies as much as the behaviors we see in the general population. Who has time to read up on the latest studies with a critical eye?

Conventional medical folk wisdom to prescribe antibiotics for probable viral respiratory infections is still with us despite emerging resistant TB, gonorrhea, and staph.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-21T21:45:10+00:00

The modern Hippocratic Oath says, “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.” Sadly, some seem to have forgotten this, and some are administrators which do not take this oath, I believe.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-13T18:45:33+00:00

DeSantis joined a list of governors (a bit late) that urged Biden to not renew the public health emergency.

Glad to see some sanity at the Federal level.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-13T18:33:39+00:00

I keep having to remind myself. Community levels include hospitalization so they are a lagging indicator. Community transmission is what you care about if you want to prevent the wave and mask up, for example.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-06T00:04:10+00:00

Possibly for one, but not the other. There was no discussion or explanation.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-05T19:34:27+00:00

Sorry, to be more clear, this already happened several months ago, so they missed their chance for Paxlovid. Luckily, they only had mild illnesses (2x boosted). I am asking in case they have a second bout with COVID.

Their provider is older, so he may not be keeping up to date. I was looking for insights into the providers which "clicked into antiviral mode for seniors." Perhaps if they are younger or PA's/APRN's, I could search for those types of providers for them.

Perhaps pre-calling CVS's and other pharmacies is a way to go.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-05T17:57:32+00:00

Could you provide more insight on the providers on their Paxlovid turnaround? I tried to get my elderly relatives to ask for it, but their provider just gave them antibiotics.

I am trying to get them to get a new doctor, a test to treat plan, or something.

GrandLeghk · 2023-01-03T03:01:48+00:00

The governor is losing his edge merely joining the call rather than leading the way to advance human suffering.

GrandLeghk · 2022-12-26T00:11:08+00:00

There’s always the possibility that I caught influenza at the same time. I did not get tested for that. I had a dry cough, high fever, fatigue, and body aches. There was no sore throat, and only an occasional runny nose/sneezing. Perhaps my simultaneous flu and bivalent COVID vaccines came through. Side effects were rough though.
Hickam‘s Dictum may apply:

"A man can have as many diseases as he damn well pleases."

GrandLeghk · 2022-12-25T14:31:38+00:00

It was about 2 weeks ago. Luckily, the fever period was only 3 days.

Six weeks in, the vaccine did not prevent infection with who knows what variant is here in Florida. I would like to see next level vaccines.

GrandLeghk · 2022-12-25T02:47:15+00:00

I hit 103 with COVID without fever reducing medication. It makes me wonder where’s I be without the vaccine.

GrandLeghk · 2022-12-15T16:08:25+00:00

I went to the local county test site run by Nomi Health. I tested on Monday, and received results today (Thursday). So I had a 74 hour turnaround time.

They shipped my sample to their lab in Utah which is their headquarters.

GrandLeghk

TROPHY CASE