The red line beside the “T” indicates that the Covid test was positive.
I knew the risks of picking up contagious diseases during air travel, which is why I went so far out of my way to get this year’s new Covid and flu vaccines before my trip to Scotland. The second evening after I returned home, I started feeling like I was getting a cold. I felt miserable and feverish during the night, so the next morning I did one of the at-home Covid tests. It was positive.
We know that it’s possible to get Covid even though one had the vaccine. The severity of the Covid, though, should be reduced into a “mild” case. My fever wasn’t all that high — 101.8 at its highest. But on day 2 of Covid it’s impossible to know what course it will take. After some Googling, I described my condition to ChatGPT and asked for advice. “Call your doctor,” was the bottom line. I called, they said I should come in, and an hour later I was in the doctor’s office, where another Covid test was positive. It did indeed look like a mild case, but out of an abundance of caution the doctor recommended Paxlovid.
At the pharmacy, I went to the drive-by. I was shocked at how much Paxlovid costs, though my Humana Medicare Advantage insurance paid for most of it. I checked the Humana app this morning for the official numbers. The pharmacy billed Humana $1,406.66 for the Paxlovid. My share of that was $132.74. Yikes!
It’s now day 3, and I’m feeling better. This is the first time I’ve had Covid. I do my best to avoid colds and flu by avoiding public places probably more than I should. I’m just glad that I got Covid on the way home, rather than on the way to Scotland. What a way that would be to ruin a trip.
It really isn’t fair that people my age have Medicare, while younger Americans must try to get by in a health-care wilderness. The obvious solution is Medicare for all. Republicans will do everything possible to see that that never happens.
