Kansas City doctor says Paxlovid is for people with mild COVID-19 symptoms

“We were on our way to a Fourth of July, lake house weekend getaway,” Alexa Ewell said.For Ewell, those plans became unhinged abruptly when she started not feeling well.”Something just weird is going on,” Ewell said.Ewell went to the doctor, and she tested positive for COVID-19.”I had the worst body aches I’ve ever had in my life,” she said.Then she found out she qualified for Paxlovid, which is the same virus-fighting pill that the president is currently on.”The way it works is, it helps to reduce the replication of the virus itself,” said Dr. Mark Steele, of University Health.The doctor said that the Paxlovid pill is for people who have mild symptoms, but it has to be taken within five days of those symptoms. Steele said it is a medication that should help the president.”It’s very good that the president is vaccinated and double boosted,” Steele said.Pharmacies KMBC talked to on Thursday said it’s been a very popular topic with customers. Many people have questions about it but they haven’t had a lot of prescriptions for it to this point.”You don’t get the same kind of viral load that you would get if you weren’t being treated with the antiviral medication,” Steele said.”The fact that I was able to recover within, you know, 24 to 48 hours,” Ewell said.”It’s been shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID by 90%,”Experts said people should consult a doctor before taking Paxlovid because some medications cannot be used with the drug.