Anyone strongly discouraged from going to medical for Covid symptoms?

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

Read it again to see my point.

I did.  I don't.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Yes, FDA approved labeling for Paxlovid includes the statement that a doctor-patient relationship should exist where the doctor knows the liver and kidney functions of the patient.  If unknown, tests for liver and kidney functions should be done before use of the drug.

 

The approved labeling also includes a long list of drugs that are contraindicates the use of Paxlovid.

Many of the drugs are used by heart patients where Paxlovid interferes with the metabolic pathway of the  different medications which can lead to life threatening drug interactions.

 

HIV positive patients are another group that need careful evaluation.

 

Paxlovid is a drug that should only be used in limited circumstances after a thorough medical evaluation by a physician.

 

A primary care physician that knows the patient's history would not need to prescreen for the contraindicated conditions and medications. 

 

A physician meeting a patient for the first time who does not have access the patient's medical history, needs to screen for liver and kidney function  plus all the drugs that contraindicate use of Paxlovid (many for heart disease and HIV positive patients).

 

For some, including some cardiac patients, patients need to be closely monitored while on the drug.

 

There is a good reason why a ship doctor may wish to do prescreening tests before prescribing Paxlovid. 

 

It is surprising. IMO,  that any ship's doctor would consider providing Paxlovid considering all the possibilities of problems with administration of the drug.

 

For those who may wish to educate themselves on the use of Paxlovid, I have linked the FDA package insert below. Please note the restriction on pharmacists  prescribing Paxlovid. 

 

https://www.fda.gov/media/155050/download

Our medical group will dispense Paxlovid with a few clicks on a questionnaire on their website. A doctor looks at the clicks and if they are “correct” a prescription is ready in 15 minutes. The pharmacist has to advise you if there are any drugs you should avoid during your paxlovid treatment. 

[OHCruiser]

On 5/22/2023 at 12:53 AM, insearchofsun said:

Mostly just looking for other’s experiences. Also folks should know that people are being told that everything is back to normal and that when one discloses Covid, there is nothing done to prevent spread.  No one wants to go back to early pandemic days, but I would expect them to treat it the way they do norovirus. 

I believe that you're correct. They simply no longer want to deal with it. 

 

I imagine that only if it begins to take out staff will they then begin to care at all.  Since staff is disposable, they can simply chuck them off the ship should they get very sick or develop long term Covid.

And, that is why we just returned from an 11 day NCL Alaska cruise that included wearing N95s at all times when in the indoor presence of others.  We know that people aren't testing, isolating, or telling, so we do what we can to protect ourselves. We do this on land and on planes, too.

 

I will say that we noticed that dining staff seemed to realize that our masks indicated that we wanted a table for 2 away from other tables, and that's what happened every time we ate indoors. 

 

We heard LOTS of rheumy coughing & sneezing around us, but we came through healthy--and we don't give a damn what others think about our choice to mask & isolate.😊

[janice2348]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:52 AM, Homosassa said:

The OP wanted Paxlovid.

 

Paxlovid has a long list of contraindications in patients with certain conditions such as heart,  kidney and liver problems.  There is a long list of interactions with commonly prescribed prescription drugs.

 

To safely prescribe  Paxlovid to an unknown patient walking into the medical center for the first time, there would be a battery for tests to screen for  all  known contraindicated medical conditions'

 

They would be costly to the patient and then there is the actual cost of Paxlovid itself.

 

Keep in mind that for any expenses in the medical center on board, it is an out of pocket expense that must be paid by the passenger before disembarking the ship.

 

Any recovery of costs through available insurance is on the passenger to file for and receive after the cruise.

 

It is  entirely understandable that the medical center warned someone who wanted Paxlovid of the costs of the required testing and the cost of the drug.

 

Six thousand dollars to cover all testing (ECG, kidney and liver function, etc) and the cost of the drug itself is reasonable and to be expected.

Neither my husband or I can take Paxlovid due to medication interactions.  We are both vaxxed and boosted. I’ve had it twice, but my husband has never had it. We recognize that cruising poses a risk. Personally I would just self-quarantine in my cabin and not notify medical unless one of us got seriously ill.  But it’s a personal decision whether or not to report it.  Covid is no longer a pandemic.  But it’s still out there. I’m more worried about catching  nonovirus than Covid on our next cruise. 

[FLcruisergrl]

On 5/22/2023 at 12:39 AM, insearchofsun said:

Hi all,

 

My partner and I had a challenging and difficult experience on the Encore. Let me start by saying, we love cruising - just became platinum on ncl.  Alaska was an absolute bucket item list for my partner! On vacation, we tend to be very go with the flow and rarely find anything to complain about. We spent the first half of our 27 year relationship being too poor to travel, so we appreciate and have gratitude for the ability to go on a cruise.
 

For the last 3 years, we have miraculously avoided Covid to come down with it on the first full day of our cruise.  It was Monday night - we were both pretty shocked, up until then we had felt good, having spent a great weekend in Seattle.  We had brought an at home test and tested in the cabin. My partner was positive instantly, mine was negative.  The next morning, I called medical and was first told to call back as they were in a meeting. The timing may be off, we were both feverish and sick, but I called back hours later and was told they couldn’t see us as they had a critical case.  Totally understood, no problem, asked them to call us back when they were available.  The nurse then started asking questions, I explained our situation and our understanding of the need to quarantine, and wanted to get seen to potentially get Paxlovid.  She cut me off and said,   “Mam, things are back to normal” you don’t need to tell us if you have Covid”  she then stated we would need “full diagnostic evaluations and quoted us at 6,000 dollars each.  She stated many of these tests were  maritime law and that we couldn’t just get a Covid test.  We were both feverish and frightened.  Despite being middle aged adults, being sick with what has felt like a terrible flu in the middle of the ocean is scary! We had purchased the NCL insurance, but worried that our medical expenses might not be covered and on top of the losses for our trip, we would also be out 12,000.00  I have seen what medical debt can do! Looking back, it seems that NCL did not want any documented Covid cases on the cruise and this was effective in keeping us away.  Of course, with a clearer head now, I wish we had gone to medical.  We tried our best to be responsible and only left the cabin to get food ( masked in N95) to bring back to our room or ordered room service.  We never got off the ship and tried hard to follow CDC guidelines.  We asked our room steward not to clean our room to avoid making him sick.  He told us he would tell someone in guest services.  I tried to call someone in guest services but only was transferred to medical. 
 

I am writing this wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with medical. I am very doubtful of getting any compensation, but will try and share our story with NCl if anyone thinks that would help.  It is probably cathartic writing this and perhaps, it will help someone else.  For the record, we are vaccinated and boosted and glad for it!  

Why would you expect any sort of compensation? If you came down with it on the first full day, you clearly brought it on the ship with you. Not NCLs fault in any way.

[david_sobe]

Wow this is a scary situation.  Thank you for being so upfront and honest.  What a dilemma.  Covid is so contagious that they should have at least put you in isolation.  It spreads so easy and sure enough there was more of it on the ship.  Not sure I understand any of this.  Not the smartest thing to do with their passengers.  But I think they are afraid of seeing covid quarantined ships again.