My Paxlovid story

[Technobarbarian]

So there we are in Burns Oregon. It's around 3pm and I had just
failed the home test for Covid. I figured that since I was an old guy
who was testing positive getting Paxlovid would be a slam dunk. Wrong
White boy. We went to what is probably the only hospital for many miles
around. At the door there's a sign that says if you have Covid symptoms
don't walk right in unless it's a medical emergency, or something like
that. The sign gives us two numbers to call, the hospital itself and a
clinic associated with the hospital. When the hospital finally answered
their phone on the second attempt they refer us to the clinic.

The clinic dinks around for an hour and a half while they try to
figure out if they can help me. Eventually they tell us they don't have
any more appointments available and they only see people by appointment.
The clinic closes at 5, no exceptions. They tell us that if we want to
hang around Burns they *might* be able to help me the next day--maybe.
They can't guarantee that they will be able to see me or that I'll be
able to get a script for Paxlovid if they do see me. Their doctors don't
like to prescribe Paxlovid unless they know your medial history. Their
behavior was so unprofessional that I told them to screw themselves.
They could have told us all of this in the first 5 minutes.

Then we did what we should have done in the first place. We put on
masks and walked through the emergency entrance. They were willing to
see me, but they also could not guarantee that I would be able to get a
script. When we finally got to a doctor we found out that this was
because the doctor has a LOT of questions. The primary concern was the
condition of my kidneys and liver, but there were a lot of other
questions. The doctor asked about things like my consumption of alcohol
and tobacco. They took all the usual measurements and the doctor
listened to my lungs. Eventually the doctor decided that if I could pass
the kidney function test I was good to go. On the second attempt the lab
was able to get a blood sample they could use and I passed. After that a
nurse practitioner brought me a box of Paxlovid from the hospital's
supply. From the time we arrived at the hospital to the finish it only
took about 3 hours to get it.

In fairness I should point out that there was one other emergency
patient whose injuries made his treatment needs more immediate than
mine. He and I were the only patients in the emergency department at
that time. I think he broke his arm.

TB