COVID-19

Practical advice for my patients on COVID-19 because there is treatment that works for this virus if we can treat you early.  Updated 9/20/2020.

 

Possible Vaccination Locations:

These links are provided for your convenience.  Sage is not responsible for and has no way to influence the availability of vaccines at these locations:

Texas Map of Vaccination Locations

Walmart Vaccine Signup

Walgreens Vaccination Signup

CVS Vaccination Signup

City of San Antonio Vaccination Signup

HEB Vaccination Signup

If you were a patient of Dr. Cawley’s when she moved to UT Health, you may be able to get a vaccine from them.

University Health System Vaccination signup

Remember that clinics and hospitals are seeing a few cases of the flu so make sure that you get this vaccine. 

If you are developing symptoms of either the flu or COVID-19 (or another circulating virus), I recommend that you quarantine and wear a mask to protect yourself and others and see a walk-in doctor for COVID-19 and/or rapid flu testing to clarify your symptoms. This will guide your treatment. Call me for a telemedicine visit to consider azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, zinc treatment if you think you have possible COVID-19 IN THE FIRST 4 DAYS. Symptoms are headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, fever/chills/sweat/aches, often severe weakness and fatigue, congestion then later loss of smell and later cough, shortness of breath. If you suspect that you have COVID-19, you will need treatment by me.  Impact urgent care, Texas Med Clinic have the rapid 15 minute COVID nasal swab test but typically do not initiate treatment.  There is a collection of 102 studies at the time this is written in C19STUDY.COM showing a 75% lower death rate in countries with early adoption of hydroxychloroquine (U.S. is not one of these countries).  Thankfully Texas pharmacies and the Texas Medical Board are not restricting the use of hydroxychloroquine.  If you are short of breath and have oxygen desaturation below 94% walking, the recommendation is to go to ER/hospital for many other effective treatments like convalescent serum.  

I recommend that all my patients take vitamin C 500 to 1000 mg 2 x day if they are worried about either any viral symptoms or an exposure to serious viral illness. This is especially important with the COVID-19 virus as the virus depletes vitamin C. Also zinc supplements are beneficial as most of my patients are aware as zinc kills the virus once is enters the cell and most patients are deficient in zinc – zinc picolinate 30mg 1 or 2 x day on empty stomach (any brand since there may be a shortage, but preferred brands are pure encapsulation or thorne. Research has shown a benefit to older patients of taking melatonin 5 to 10 mg at night as the high melatonin levels of young people may be partly responsible for protecting them -remember COVID-19 suppresses the innate immune system and melatonin boosts the innate immune system.  Quercetin 250 mg 2 x day with vitamin C 500 mg 2 x day can be taken as preventative and quercetin/vitamin C 500 mg each 2 x day can be taken as a milder treatment regimen (herbal) rather than hydroxychloroquine.  Rest, chicken soup or broth advised. Avoid anti-inflammatories such as Motrin, especially to bring down the fever. Do not treat the fever unless either causing dehydration or weakness or over 102 degrees, and treat with Tylenol if needed. If confirmed COVID-19 infection, patients are not supposed to take their ace inhibitor blood pressure medicine but arb blood pressure medicines may be protective.  The virus enters the cell through receptors related to these medicines. I can provide a substitute.

 

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https://www.sanantonio.gov/Health/News/Alerts/CoronaVirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/
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AP:  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/