[ecocentrik]

My impression has been that taking Paxlovid resulted in faster recovery and less severe symptoms. This is an anecdotal observation with a tiny small sample size so I wouldn't discount placebo or a weaker variant. Still, I'd like to see a broader study that looks into long COVID and severity.

[ragle]

Likewise. I was 2-3 days into testing positive and had a fever that could not be controlled by maximum strength OTC antipyretics, awful cough producing glue-like greyish globs, headache, blood oxygen consistently 2-3% below typical for me, extreme fatigue.

~48 hours after beginning Paxlovid I felt almost back to normal. spO2 returned to typical wake / sleep levels, lungs clearing, little fatigue, etc.

Based on how sick I was when I started treatment, if historical patterns of recovery from respiratory illness are any indication I would have expected an additional ~9-14 days of tapering symptoms at minimum.

Instead I was basically totally normal again after ~5-6 days.

If I get COVID again I will absolutely ask for Paxlovid.