Lyla D.
Yelp
This review is for my recent QMC COVID-19 Hotline experience.
It's just one thing after another! First, over the past two years during the pandemic, we've been cautious about our contact with others, eating in as much as possible, and when we've dined out, we never lingered even though our State required Proof of Vaccination. We felt relatively "safe" knowing others we chose to be around were also fully vaccinated and boosted. However, in recent days, our State has lifted many of its COVID-19 health safety restrictions, and everywhere is crowded with pre-pandemic levels. We continued to wear our protective face masks because of the highly contagious virus variants, but recently, we shared time with visiting friends who were also fully vaccinated. After three days from contact with their visit, I suddenly started sneezing and had a runny nose which I would have passed off as an allergy, but I KNEW it wasn't allergy symptoms because I ran a fever.
I called my PCP's office and fully expected to get directed to the pre-recorded message leading me to the COVID-19 Hotline because our State has a CDC High-Risk Infection Rate. Sure enough, a friendly representative, Moani, answered as I began to describe my symptoms and positive result from an At-Home Antigen Test. I told her when I started getting symptoms, and she gave me a choice to go to a nearby Urgent Care Clinic for testing and evaluation or drive to another nearby neighborhood for PCR testing the same afternoon. Moani told me that if I were to take a PCR Test, the results would not post for at least 48 hours and would be within the window (5 days) for a prescription of the Emergency Use Authorization oral antiviral, Paxlovid.
While waiting for test results, I started self-quarantine at home with very mild COVID-19 symptoms. Someone from the COVID-19 Hotline contacted me to set up a virtual appointment with a dedicated COVID-19 Clinic physician, Dr. J. Knapp. I was able to provide my vitals, including my blood oxygen level, and he discussed the instructions for taking Paxlovid and its possible side effects. I was a good candidate for the Paxlovid, and I agreed to report any adverse reactions. After a few days into the therapy, I felt better, and the viral load had diminished, but I continued to isolate myself for ten days (even though the CDC recommendation is five days). Besides, I was spoiled by my husband, who has improved his cooking skills, and I've been binge-watching more shows or movies on Netflix, Prime, and AppleTV!
Anyway, I recovered, and with hope, I won't suffer from a Paxlovid rebound but if I do, I wouldn't hesitate to call the Queen's Medical Center COVID-19 Hotline for assistance. I'm impressed with their response to this virus and compassionate care for their patients.