By Brad Friedman on 1/15/2024, 11:54am PT  

2024 is barely underway, but, man, is it kicking my ass already...

Just after the turn of the new year, Desi tested positive for COVID. By the end of that week, I did as well, after both of us, fully vaxxed and boosted, had avoided it entirely over the past four years. Until now. Looks like we got caught up in the newly intensifying Winter surge.

Happily, a very quick Paxlovid prescription knocked it out of both of us within days. I can't sing its praises enough. The five-day antiviral regimen is recommended for those with mild-to-moderate disease but at high risk for a severe infection. (For example, those with diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and/or, in my case, over 50 years of age or a former smoker.)

Studies differ somewhat in the numbers, but there is about a 5% to 20% of "rebound" for COVID patients, apparently, both those that use Paxlovid and those who don't, according to this recent Yale Medicine article. That, as studies show "Paxlovid to reduce hospitalization and death by 86% in unvaccinated COVID patients (in initial trials by Pfizer, which developed the drug), and 80% effective in those who have been vaccinated. In November 2022, the CDC reported on a real-world study showing that adults who took Paxlovid within five days of a COVID diagnosis had a 51% lower hospitalization rate within 30 days compared to those who did not receive the drug."

The article reports, "for high-risk patients, the benefits of Paxlovid in preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death far outweigh the downsides of a rebound, which is usually mild, and, in most instances, will do nothing more than prolong the isolation period."

COVID rebound is defined as a recurrence of COVID symptoms and/or receiving a positive COVID test after having the disease and then testing negative. It has been reported to occur between two and eight days after initial recovery, including in people who were "up to date" on their COVID vaccinations.

It’s characterized by a brief surge in symptoms that might last a few days. It’s different from Long COVID, which involves new, returning, or ongoing symptoms that can include a wide range of ongoing health problems and may last days, months, or even years.

After a week of shows last week, and feeling largely back to normal by this past weekend, I began sneezing and became congested about 18 hours ago. It continued throughout the night. Other than that, I'm feeling largely fine. But, out of an abundance of caution, I took another COVID test today.

Yup. I'm positive again.

Plans to do our live show today from the KPFK studios are, thusly, postponed. We normally wouldn't do a show today anyway, it's MLK Day, but given the time we had to take off after the turn of the new year for illness, and tonight's Iowa Caucuses, we were gonna try to do one anyway.

Now, we will not. I plan to be back tomorrow with Iowa results. Then again, I had planned to be back again today. Looks like the Radio Gods have something else in store for me in 2024.

Either way, back soon!

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Article Categories: BRAD BLOG, Coronavirus/COVID-19