Test to Treat is live!!

 Scott Raun posted this in a thread on natter (thanks, Scott). Posting it here so I have the link handy if I need it later. Also, I guess, to boost the signal, although I doubt there are very many people who read my Dreamwidth who don't also read natter. I checked out the website and it's amazing! It looks like every pharmacy, clinic, and hospital is listed. There are 135 within 10 miles of my zipcode, including many institutions I have never even heard of. The treatments available at each location are listed: both Paxlovid and molnupiravir are available, although not necessarily at the same locations. 

This is a HUGE leap forward from the convoluted and unworkable procedure that was in place 2 months ago when I asked my doctor about it. 

This is what I have been waiting for to put my mind at ease about COVID. As someone over the age of 70 with a few comorbidities, I should qualify for Paxlovid. Between that and vaccinations and the less virulent Omicron variants, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to die of this thing. 

The Federal Government has a Test-to-Treat program.  You can find
information and participating locations at:

https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx

There's at least one, possibly two, anti-virals specific to COVID
available.  The sooner you start taking them, the better.
Test-to-Treat is basically 'walk in, get tested, get treatment if
you're positive'.

 

The City of Minneapolis tries again

For the 37 years we have lived in this house the Minneapolis Parks Department (which manages the city's trees) has been trying to get something to grow on our northern boulevard with little success. It's a difficult site - narrow, full of road salt, and with only about 18" of soil over a deep substrate of crushed rock. But the Parks Department is apparently oblivious to these challenges and keeps planting trees that cannot possible live in such an environment, like Norway maples. Two of the three they planted decades ago died and the third one is that pathetic specimen you can see at the corner down there, which somehow clings to life but never really gets any bigger. They actually found an appropriate tree when the other two maples died - some kind of dwarf flowering fruit tree - which are actually capable of growing in such a constrained spot. That was great until 2 years ago when the city DROPPED AN ASH TREE on one of them and wiped it out on the spot. Then they replaced it with something totally inappropriate called Yellowwood, which died the first summer  despite Richard watering it assiduously. 

Well, now they are trying again with some tree I have never heard of called Amur Maackia. I guess they are giving up on native trees entirely. Maybe this one will do better. sigh