Masks … Off? – The New York Times

But first, I want to refer you to a whip-smart Times resource on antivirals, written by Knvul Sheikh, a reporter on the Well desk.

“Basically anyone who is eligible would really benefit from antivirals,” Knvul told me. “They could have fewer symptoms. They could recover faster. They are less likely to have to go a hospital. And some researchers suspect that antivirals may even reduce the chances of getting long Covid down the line, though there aren’t any studies to support that hypothesis yet.”

Eligibility is more expansive than you might think, Knvul said.

“We usually just talk about people 65 years old or older and those with heart disease, cancer, diabetes or obesity,” she said. But people with asthma, ADHD, depression, an H.I.V. infection or kidney disease are also eligible, as are current or former smokers.

“If you start to feel sick, don’t hesitate to take a Covid test and get the antiviral prescription you need sooner rather than later,” she said. “There’s only a short time frame when you can get the pills. If you wait more than five days after symptoms appear, you may no longer be eligible.”

Now, on to your stories.

For many readers, it was easy-peasy.

“Cost: $0,” wrote Beverly Pelzner Kalban, 69, who lives in Brooklyn. “I did not experience any major discomfort other than trying to extricate the rather large pills from the foil packaging.”

But some readers, especially those living in rural areas, struggled to find the drugs. They weren’t alone, a Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci writes in our Opinion section: “The medications remain hard to get for many, despite supplies.”

Catherine Butler, 66, lives in Washington, D.C., but tested positive while in Florida. “It took me all day,” Catherine writes. Her primary care doctor and one pharmacy could not prescribe it on a virtual visit; another pharmacy needed a PCR test, the results of which would take two days. Another doctor who did not take her insurance offered ivermectin instead.