Previously, I remember going to a testing clinic, receiving a diagnosis a little later, logging my temperatures and self-isolating, but I can’t recall much if any therapeutic medicine prescribed. I specifically remember being told not to come to the hospital if I’m running a fever.
In the last three weeks, I’ve seen a number of people around me take ill, and I’m not quite sure what to do/what can be done for them now, or for my possible self in the future. One is back to work, but had awful throat pain, and was under the presumption that his temperature meant he couldn’t really receive help. That person was taken by ambulance and given fever-reducing medication and some prescription pain relief; the other person I speak with sat it out alone and self-medicated. Is there some space in the middle?
Can someone more informed help me figure this out?
Edit: thanks, y’all. Sometimes I can’t tell if the responses I’m getting are typical or abnormal: seems like what I’m hearing locally is in line with your experiences.
19 comments
A colleague of mine was given antivirals. I am not sure which one as he did not say. He is over 60, which is perhaps relevant.
I had covid around July and took 3 weeks to recover with antibiotics
My family and I had Covid in late July. We went to a clinic (PCR test confirmed) and received 2 types of medication: 1) 3 days worth of medicine to treat Covid and 2) 5 days worth of medicine for the fever. We were informed to stay at home, isolated a minimum of 5 days. I initially started feeling ill on a Friday and went back to work the following Thursday. I had (have?) a lingering dry cough since – slowly going away but I was still coughing all of August.
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I’m surprised that none of the comments mentioned Paxlovid which has been approved in Japan for a while and is the standard treatment in the US.
When I had covid in the spring I wasn’t given anything – I was just told to rest at home. My family in the US couldn’t believe they hadn’t prescribed paxlovid. I googled it and at least at the time it seemed like it was only being given to the elderly and people with severe risks because of supply issues.
My wife has been getting sick every month for the past 12 months. Finally she went to a doctor after she got sick again. She tested positive for covid, they gave her medicine but said not worry too much and stay home. I think our 1.5 year old brought it home, she got steriods for her throat and medicine for her cough and fever. She’s a trooper and is over it already. I guess I havent gotten sick or tested positive despite sleeping in the same bed and my daughter coughing into my face constantly.
I’m not sure about covid but I just wanna let you know there’s been a particularly nasty strain of the flu going around lately. My husband and I both got it. We both tested for covid and both came back negative. A friend of mine also got it and some of her friends as well, all tested for covid and came back negative.
It sure feels like covid though! Started with a sore throat, got a really bad stuffy/runny nose, a fever, the chills, body aches, a horrible cough, lost sense of smell and taste for a bit and got a blocked ear. Still have a bit of a cough a week later.
Last week my son came back from a music festival in Osaka with it (4 hours away from us) and gave it to everyone in the house. We were given fever reducers, loxonin for the sore throat, and something else for the cough. We were told to stay home for 5 days. That’s it.
When my husband got COVID in July, he first had to call the clinic because he had a fever. They told him to come by car at a specific time and park in a specific area and to call when he got there. Once he arrived they did a test for a few things – COVID, influenza A, adenovirus and a couple of others. They took swabs and then the doctor did some basic checks all while in the car. After waiting about 20 mins, my husband was told he was COVID positive and given medicine to reduce fever (but only to use if above 38C) and something for his sore throat.
The doctor said not to go to work until 24hrs after the fever had gone. If required he would write a note for work. He was recommended to isolate from the rest of the family and if anyone else got sick, call the clinic and they would advise. My husband was absent from work for 4 days but he was able to WFH so it wasn’t an issue.
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We’ve been told by the clinic that they won’t test you unless you have a sustained fever or are a small baby. If one person in the house is confirmed positive they won’t test anyone else but will give you medicines if required after telephone consultation. The clinic recommends to not go to hospital unless the person is very sick and then they should call an ambulance.
Tested positive this week for the first time (finally got me). Started with a sore throat on Monday, fever kicked in on Tuesday and that night was around 40 degrees. Went to the clinic Wednesday afternoon and they tested for Covid and flu. Told me that it wasn’t standard practice to prescribe Covid specific medicines so would just be general stuff to reduce symptoms. Got 4 different pills for throat, cough and fever basically.
Still stuck in bed feeling like crap and our 2 year old has now got it 🥵
They also mentioned they were seeing a lot of cases for Covid and flu recently
If you have had your vaccine, I’m thinking studies showed greatly reduced risks for long covid symptoms. As far as treatment, generally there isn’t much to do if you have a mild case (fever and sore throat), but they may give you something to treat the symptoms. I don’t think they generally want to treat every case with antivirals, for a multitude of reasons.
The basic approach for viruses, whether Covid, the flu, or the common cold, is to let the body fight it, and maybe take some anti fever medication to relieve symptoms.
Unless the patient is particularly fragile or something, it should get better on its own.
Me? I did a RAT and then backed it up with another RAT.
Then I stayed home for five days. I took OTC acetaminophen for fever and throat pain. Never even thought of going to a hospital. What’s the point in that if it’s no more serious than the common cold?
If symptoms worsen, or don’t improve in five days, they you go to the hospital.
I had covid in May and then again in July (fml). Went to a different hospital both times, but was told there is no medication for covid and to just sit it out. All they gave me was some 解熱剤, no mention at all of Paxlovid or anything.
Tested positive on a self-test two days ago. I’ve got the fever, aches, headache from hell, vomiting, dizziness, and mild throat ache. Haven’t considered going to the doctor though. What are they going to do for a healthy person with no risk factors except prescribe some painkillers which I have lying at home?
Recovering from COVID now. I did a test at home, then called the prefectural health center, then (on their recommendation) booked a PCR test at a clinic. Got told to stay home for at least five days + got Xocova and some typical cold/flu meds.
Just therapeutics for symptoms. They won’t give you paxlovid either I went to St. Luke’s in Tokyo asked and they said I wasn’t sick enough (even though I’m at risk for severe illness).
As someone who started experiencing symptoms yesterday, I was able to go to my doctor having confirmed covid via a rapid test and a fever of 38.4 degrees.
Granted, this place has a tent outside their office specifically for people taking a covid test.
They asked if I wanted medicine for my symptoms, but I refused because I was only there to get a doctor’s note for my company. No logging temperatures or anything else.
My company told me to take a week off, and only to come back if I take a test at the end of the week and it comes back negative. But I’m not sure if this is a company thing, or a legal requirement.