Hey there. A couple days before we were scheduled to tape today's episode, I tested positive for COVID-19.

Oops. I'm actually feeling pretty okay right now, but I was definitely not ready for our usual

taping and production and all the rest. And I'm still kind of tired. I tell you what,

just to make sure I'm totally ready to go, let's figure out I'll get our next episode to you

in two weeks. Meanwhile, I will tell you, the morning I got my diagnosis,

I went looking for a prescription for one of the new anti-viral meds. I got

paxiled and I think it worked because I went to bed that night feeling rotten and a little worried

because I'm not that young and I like to be in better shape. So how was all this going to play out?

I woke up the next day just feeling tired. Voice a little messed up, but otherwise, you know,

not miserable. And I'm making a point of mentioning this because there's a new variant,

BA2, and a new wave of cases, at least in some places, and we don't know yet how big it's

going to be. The New York Times had some tips for being prepared, and I'm definitely co-signing one

of them here, which is have a plan for weather and how to get anti-virals before you test positive.

Not all docs want to prescribe them, and there are folks who should not take them because of

drug interactions and other risks. The other advice from that New York Times story was smart too,

so I'll have a link wherever you're listing this. Finally, one last thing. While I was watching

the line on my at home COVID test to turn bright red, I got an email from a listener responding

to our latest first aid kit newsletter, which was partly about the price of expensive drugs.

And I wrote back right away saying, I hate that insurance is interfering with your life so

intimately, but I can tell you this is one of the most entertaining notes to arrive in this

show's inbox. And if you have any inclination to read it out loud as a voice memo,

I would put it on an arm and a leg in a heartbeat. They wrote back, thank you for the show.

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