Test? Who Needs A Test?
One of the most common questions I get is whether there is a test for long COVID. The answer: No. NIH has spent a boatload of money looking for some sort of biomarker and have come up empty-handed. There is a test for whether you have an active COVID infection, but long COVID is still diagnosed by the symptoms.
About 1 in 20 people after COVID report lingering symptoms that range from fatigue and headache to a combination of symptoms that can be debilitating. Here is the latest CDC update of long COVID symptoms:
• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• New loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
A number of people have contacted me who have had symptoms of something for days or weeks, and question what they should do. People want to think COVID is over, but it’s not.
The CDC is also saying that COVID infections are surging. “If you just talk about infections, this is probably going to end up becoming the largest summer wave we’ve had,” according to Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House Covid-19 response coordinator. “It’s still not as big as the winter waves, but it is starting to get close.”
Wastewater data suggests actual cases may be up to 20 times higher than what’s being reported because if people test at all anymore, they do it at home, and that result doesn’t make it to official databases.
Why the surge? Health officials point to more transmissible variants, combined with hot summer weather that prompt people to spend more time indoors.
I’m getting a lot of calls from people who have come down with some kind of upper respiratory infection and need a renewal of their anti-viral prescriptions. If it has been more than a year, we’ll need to do at least a brief telemed appointment to call in the renewal. It is way more important to have the medicine in the house than to have a test that says you do or don’t have COVID. (And from what we’ve seen from the COVID tests, their reliability is not so reliable.) If you feel symptoms, take the antivirals immediately. Ivermectin works not just for COVID but for the flu, RSV, and others. Hydroxychloroquine can be good too because we see that some viral variants respond better to it. The earlier you treat a respiratory infection – whatever it may be – the faster it goes away.
This week, I was speaking with a woman I’ve helped several times over the years. She recognized she had the tell-tale symptoms but when she went to her medicine cabinet, it was empty. Whoops, she had forgotten to stock up. Be prepared. We’re just a phone call away.
2 MORE QUICK THINGS:
1. If you love chocolate, you need to know that Consumer Reports tested 28 dark chocolate bars for the heavy metals lead and cadmium. They found dangerous levels in dark chocolate from Hershey’s, Theo, Trader Joe’s, and other popular brands. Click here to read their report and find out if what you buy is on the list.
2. Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 24. That’s the Scottsdale Health Expo. I’m one of the speakers and I’ll have a table there.
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Dr. Linda Wright, Owner/Director
(602) 565-9273