Democratic President Joe Biden recently dealt with COVID-19 virus. He was kept in quarantine and received treatment. This means he took Paxlovid, the sole drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for COVID treatment.
If you've never heard of this medication, it was granted emergency approval from the FDA in December 2021. It has since been taken by large number of people across the US. But, the FDA noted that the concept behind the medication is not to stop COVID-19 from occurring or cause it to disappear. In addition, it's not intended to replace the use of a COVID vaccine.
The antiviral treatment created by Pfizer is intended to reduce the symptoms or at least reduce their severity.
Subsequently, only people with serious symptoms or at danger of hospitalization or death are generally given this treatment. This includes people who are at an older age, or who be suffering from health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, or who are overweight. Patients who qualify must be at twelve years old or weigh at least 88lbs before being diagnosed as having COVID.
At first, it was offered through prescription from a doctor only. In recent times, the FDA approved pharmacists with state licenses to provide it to those who qualify to receive Paxlovid.
At the elderly age of 79, Joe Biden is certainly one who is in the “at-risk” category. If you believe one of his last major gaffes, it's because he has Cancer… By the way, there's actually no evidence to suggest that Biden actually has cancer. Instead, he simply confused it with COVID evidently, since he is a bit confused and prone to saying the wrong words lately.
In any event, the health of our president is important. So it was recommended that he take with a dose of Paxlovid.
The medication comes in a three-part pills to be taken every day, twice per day for five consecutive days. It should be taken within the first 5 days following the onset of symptoms.
Two pills are nirmatrelvir tablets, which are intended to block the SARS-CoV-2 protein, which causes the virus to grow more cells. Another pill is a tablet containing ritonavir, which slows the breakdown process of the first two pills, resulting in longer-lasting effects.
But, more than a couple of Paxlovid users have noticed that the decrease in symptoms does not last long enough.
For instance, Dr. Anthony Fauci was diagnosed with COVID in late March and also took Paxlovid. According to a speech he delivered at a global health forum, the doctor said the test was negative and his symptoms diminished for three days following the last dose of Paxlovid. On the fourth day, the doctor tested positive and then began to show all the symptoms again.
The situation was described by the doctor as “Paxlovid rebound.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the situation was expected to occur. In May, the CDC issued an alert warning that positive tests and symptoms might be seen in some patients in the two to eight days after they finished the Paxlovid.
The CDC added that symptoms return could, in reality, “be part of the natural history” of the condition. However, Dr. Fauci wasn't sure, as he took another dose of the medication.
Either way, Biden was treated with Paxlovid. He is older and, as per White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, suffered from minor symptoms. It is too early to tell whether it will benefit him or if he'll be affected by a Paxlovid rebound.
