Patients can sign up for evaluation via the below Stanford Health Care link. Eligibility requirements in brief are that you have tested positive with symptoms less than 10 days, not require Oxygen or hospitalization, and meet one or more high risk criteria. There is also criteria for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis with its own set of guidelines found in the following link. Only one type of monoclonal antibody appears to treat the Omicron variant which is Sotrovimab. 

Symptoms between vaccinated and unvaccinated sometimes differ. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, and loss of smell/taste. Breakthrough cases often do not have fever, chills or cough. Please get tested before assuming it is a cold.

At this time, an appropriate mask is strongly recommended, even after vaccination. The vaccine is not 100% effective, and new variants have continued to develop which alter the efficacy of the vaccines. The vaccine has been shown to help severe COVID, but does not prevent all COVID (mild, moderate, and severe.)  

There are two new oral pills that are now on market, but not available at all pharmacies with limited supply as well. Paxlovid has been shown to be 89% effective in preventing severe disease compared to placebo. It is approved for 12 years old and up. Paxlovid needs to be given within the first 5 days, and works by inhibiting a Protease enzyme important for Coronavirus replication. Paxlovid has many medication interactions that need to be considered when deciding on treatment. Merck’s Molnupiravir is approximately 30% effective in preventing severe disease, and also needs to be taken within 5 days of symptom onset. It is approved for ages 18 years and up. It works by creating problems in the RNA genetic code that build up to make it hard for the virus to replicate and function.

This is something that is now being recognized as Long COVID. For patients this can affect people of all disease severity including vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Long COVID has been thought to affect up to 30 percent of people affected by COVID.The CDC has link below:

COVID in its mild, moderate and severe form can cause loss of taste and smell. This can last anywhere from a couple days to go on for an average of 21 days before it returns. This can even extend for up to a year depending on each patient’s experience. Loss of smell and taste is more likely with COVID than any other viral illness.

Please see link below as the variant situation has become more complex: