I started molnupiravir anti-viral 2/2/22 and one takes it for five days. I had no side effects not even diarrhea. I felt better the next day with more relaxed breathing and improved cough. The cough improved every day. On 2/7/22 I awoke and thought I hadn't felt this good since before surgery. My blood oxygen levels are higher. I still have a very modest cough.
Looking back, I can see that Covid was impacting my recovery. I did wonder why I wasn't more myself at the time. What drove me to Covid testing was that my modest dry cough from surgery had become very frequent and "congested rumbling" in my throat and stuff was coming up. The anti-viral I took is only 30% effective, but it seems to have helped me. Pfizer Paxlovid is much better. My doctor told me that there are not enough of these FDA emergency approved drugs to go around in Minnesota, and the majority of her high-risk patients get nothing. So I was fortunate to get something, and to have a mild case. There is a point system.
I had the third dose of Pfizer vaccine (booster) four months before testing positive. Given all my precautions to not catch Covid, they need to revise advice to people, because the variants require very little opportunity.
I read that CDC now approved fourth dose of mRNA vaccine (second booster) three months from 3rd dose (first booster) but only for people immunocompromised like cancer therapy drugs etc.