Here’s a very short video (8 minutes) from PBS/NOVA. It explains how Covid-19 antiviral pills from Pfizer and Merck and Ridgeback work, how effective they are, and how they might change the course of the pandemic.
Could Antiviral Pills Change the Course of the Coronavirus Pandemic?
(Don’t know how they stack up against ivermectin!!)
Part of me feels like the only people who would take the pills are the ones already vaccinated. Sometimes I come across a random person whose getting vaccinated now but the majority who are seems to have already done it. I have a hard time imagining an anti mask, anti vaccine conspiracy theorist being like “ yeah I’ll the pill” .
The comments on the video were interesting (and depressing when considering the fate of humanity).
As to the pills, I think the verdict is still out. There would have to be a clear indication for who would benefit and under what conditions, as well as easy access and affordability. Even then, you would be faced with the people who are like those in the comments, who would prefer ivermectin or a vitamin cocktail, even though it is becoming more and more clear those things are just placebo.
And the point raised in the video, even with a positive test (including self-test), how is an individual going to get a quick script and immediate access.
It can be done, but it won’t be easy.
Let us not forget the bleach enema treatment. Kills the virus and the patient.
The pills offer a great improvement in treatment, but I think the greatest improvement in our prospects may be the omicron variant itself—if a getting a safer, milder variant of Covid provides immunity to the more dangerous versions.
The new variant could be the best news we have had since the vaccine from President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed,
nuke the areas of infection
guess that is what omicron was engineered to do to achieve herd immunity 
Was just easier to release it into the wild considering the anti-vaxxers and also nobody would blame any government or industry for the remaining side-effects
Well Vance, I am not thinking it good news, but it may be a step on the road to that destination of endemic mild disease. Currently, hospitals in hard hit areas are overwhelmed as while Omicron may cause 1/3 the mortality or severe disease, it is over 3 times as contagious, which still makes for a lot of suffering. It is still not clear how much of the current spike it Omicron vs. Delta. We still have have a huge unvaccinated population, and Delta seems to still be a major player in the US. Unfortunately, most of the unvaccinated seem to have the mindset that they have placed their bets and are rolling the dice. We need to convince them that it is more like “Let’s Make a Deal” and they can change their bet and see what is behind Door Number 3.
I think we will know more in a few weeks, but the CDC reports only 1 in 20 cases are Delta.
We’re still killing children.
Good info, though still 77% in the Midwest and around 80/% in the Northeast. I see we are at slightly less than 60 percent vaccinated here inTexas. Of course, a lot have already had Covid, so makes you wonder at what point enough will be immune enough to approach some degree of herd immunity. I suppose two things will stand between us and that: waning immunity as is common with coronaviruses, and mutations.
Yes; just listened to NPR where they phrased the observation as “We lucked out.” It’s wonderful that despite being more infectious, Omicron seems to affect the upper airway more, and not so much the lungs, as delta. However, our chief of staff just observed that our hospitalization number is still increasing with the Omicron, with 50% hospitalization of the Delta-just because of the infectivity, I guess. There is a request to cross cover the hospitals as mid levels, even if we are primarily clinic based MD/DOs, because so many staff are sick. The 5 day shortened CDC guidelines may be helping us get back to work–especially since we’re all vaccinated.
It’s a chlorine dioxide solution, rather than sodium hypochlorite solution. And it’s more concentrated. So, it’s worse than bleach.
I am on the fourth day of a fever and upper respiratory distress. Covid 19? Who knows? Yeah I’ll take the pill!
Was I immunized? I had two of the Pfizer vaccine. Don’t know if I want any more of those.
Get will soon! Any testing?
You mean go out in the cold weather for a test in my condition? Doubtful.
Yeah, I think that’s incredibly unhelpful that people keep saying that and find it extremely irritating… because like you said:
Nationwide we are at 100% of our hospitalizations from our previous winter peak before there were vaccines available to anybody with some places like DC being at double the hospitalizations of any prior peak or places like Ohio seeing more people in younger age groups going to the hospital, breaking their prior records as well. For example, twice as many 18-29-year-olds are hospitalized in Ohio right now thanks to COVID-19 than ever before. With the MILDER VARIANT.
The ‘milder’ variant rhetoric I think is to blame for some of these sorts of trends. Yes maybe on an individual level a person’s risk of death or hospitalization might be lower than Delta but I find it absurd that some people are calling this variant a blessing or:
Ridiculous. Sorry, Vance, not with you on this one.
With the OP of the thread though, I think there is a group of people that will be more open to a pill than the vaccine, just like certain states really pushed monoclonal antibodies instead of vaccines.
Maybe you could get a home test. Only reason to do is if it would change treatment, which it might if things go downhill, or if you have others in close contact. Hopefully you are over the worst. It also might have some affect to know on when to get a booster if you so desire. I have a couple of home tests on my desk. To bad I can’t run one by.
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