COVID-19 program may test your patience

The news is good, bad and downright stupid when it comes to the COVID-19 Test-to-treat Program that was launched in March.

Good: antiviral medications. Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s Lagevrio, when taken within five days of developing your first COVID-19 symptoms, can prevent severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths, especially among chronically ill (diabetes, heart disease, etc.), disabled and older Americans.

Good: All qualified heath care providers can prescribe these antivirals. And now, the Department of Health and Human Services is distributing oral antiviral pills directly to participating Test-to-treat pharmacy-based clinics and long-term care pharmacies. You can get tested and prescribed antivirals all in one visit. An online national map shows locations that are offering the service: https://covid-19test-to-treat-locator-dhhs. hub.arcgis.com.

Bad — and stupid: According to a survey by Kaiser Health News, many locales have no nearby clinics that can offer such services. In addition, some places charge up to $100 for Test-to-treat visits. People without insurance, whose health plans don’t cover visits to the clinics or who have high-deductible plans must shoulder the full costs.

Solutions: Talk to your primary care physician about Test-to-treat before you need it, so you’re prepared. Order free at-home test kits ahead of time from www.covid.gov/ tests. And Kaiser Health News says Truepill offers online COVID-19 assessments and meds through its website findcovidcare.com. Truepill costs $25 to $55.

The power of a glass of water

Researchers from the Laboratory of Vascular and Matrix Genetics at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recently published a study in the European Heart Journal. It shows that drinking enough water to maintain properly diluted levels of sodium in your blood might reduce your risk of heart failure. Looking at data on around 16,000 adults, they found that if you’ve got blood sodium levels above 142 meq/l when you’re age 45 to 66, you are more likely to develop left ventricular hypertrophy — that’s a thickening of the wall of the heart’s main pumping chamber — and heart failure during the next 25 years of your life. In fact, you are 39 percent more likely — that’s a huge bump in your risk.

So how much water do you need? The minimum is around 6-8 cups a day for women and 8-12 cups for men.