Just trying to cover all of our bases for trip to Naples,Taormina, Syracusa, Catania in January. If one of us came down with COVID (both in our 70’s)how would we get Paxlovid? I don’t think our NYC doctors could prescribe it to Italy, or could they?
Anxious, but still going! Anita
No, your US based Doctor cannot prescribe it to buy in Italy, and he should not give you a prescription to get a supply "in case".
Basically, you would need to see a Doctor there, and based on his diagnosis, your condition, and the policies of where you will be, they will either prescribe it, or not.
If this is a concern, you will want to have a record of all the medications you have taken in the past year, and information on other health issues. A letter from your GP giving an overall health assessment wouldn't hurt.
As for a Doctor, your hotel should be able to point you in the right direction, may even have one on call. Otherwise a Pharmacy will let you know what doctors are in the area.
bugsy913, I sent you a PM.
This is a real problem as Europe has not geared up for distribution of Paxlovid. It seems the cost in Italy may approach $1,000. and many Italian doctors are not informed on the subject. The drug is the most effective when taken as early as possible after Covid is confirmed, so it's not a time to be learning about a foreign country's medical system. If you are higher risk and Paxlovid is appropriate for you based on your medical conditions, I would do what it takes to bring some with you even if it means doctor shopping.
remember that all medicine has side-effects and that doctors want to know that your benefits will outweigh your negatives. The doctor should should have full access to your medical records. Doctor shopping is unlikely to provide that level of care. Certainly here in England, and I am sure in Italy, medicine is only given when it is indicated, being careful of any contraindications.
The best choice here is prevention. Make sure that you have received all eligible boosters in advance. That way, it should reduce the symptoms you experience, even if you do get Covid. The usual advice of hand washing, and masking in crowded locations with little ventilation are also good ideas.
Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. You have certainly covered every side of the issue. I wish I could hear from someone who personally ran into this issue abroad, but lacking that one last point of view, we’ll make a decision based on the info at hand.
Anita
Wear a mask (N95 or FFP2) in the airport and on the flight. We didn't, and didn't get covid, but my wife did get a troublesome cold a couple of days later which put a damper on our trip
Edwardius, thank you for taking the time to tell us about your your trip experience. We are working on taking as many precautions as possible on our 15-day trip without ruining the trip! For instance, should we really eat dinner out (indoors in January!) 15 times, or can we find some takeout to bring back to our hotels? Just trying to think of ways of reducing our exposure. And I appreciate that your wife didn’t catch COVID but caught another virus, because that happened to me recently.
We have traveled twice during this pandemic. We take precautions, wear masks in confined spaces, make sure we are vaccinated and current boosters, avoid large crowds...and that is about it.
Current evidence suggest that if properly boosted, and despite taking extensive precautions, you can still get covid, and a decent chance of it. The good news is, properly boosted, your symptoms will likely be mild, you may not even know you have it.
To that end, it is your choice, but I would have no qualms about eating in most restaurants, and I certainly would not resort to eating in my hotel room for any significant number of meals. It comes down to a personal choice, but if I started to eliminate things I like to do while traveling, I would first reconsider even going.
We toured Portugal and part of Spain this past September. We wore our masks most of the time because of the hoards of people everywhere. Four people on the tours got Covid. They wore paper masks on the bus and rarely when outside or in museums.
We ate outside while on free time but did have a few indoor meals. We kept our mask on until our food came and put them on when finished. A few others on the tours did the same.
You will see very few people wearing masks but you will see some!
Wipe down all touch areas at your seat on the plane, and don’t forget the part of the seat your tray table locks into as well.
Check with your doctor if Paxlovid can be taken safely with the medicine you are taking.
Despite being fully vaxed and boosted and careful with mask wearing both my husband and I tested positive for Covid in Spain in October. Fortunately our symptoms were mild and I felt no worse than if I had a cold. We slowed down for a few days. There were no quarantine requirements. But it didn’t really affect our trip.
Hello Lamosh, Hopefully if we do test positive while away we will have light cases like yours. I am curios, when you say you”slowed down” were you staying in place. Or did you mask up and go out?
Also, appreciate the different voices on this. It’s all food for thought as we work this through.
I just bookmarked this thread to review travel insurance, it's very useful. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/travel-insurance-question-79ee8197-d2f0-4bb4-aeea-d5ee4f493c75#bottom
We extended our stay in Granada so we didn’t have to travel. But we masked up and went out every day to walk and explore. Our days were lower key than they might usually have been. But we actually really enjoyed our extra time there. We got to see things and explore areas of town that weren’t originally on the itinerary. We got takeaway food and bought some groceries so we ate in our room.
The hotel was very helpful. They directed us to the nearest clinic for our official tests and would have assisted with medical help had we needed it.
