Today I made by bravest venture yet into the world of Coronavirus. I went to my doctor’s office for my annual physical.
The entry ritual was the same as last week when I got the blood work done. As then, all the women were wearing short-sleeved tops. When I asked one why she wasn’t wearing long sleeves, she said she took a shower before she went home, so was OK.
These exams are predictable. The only differences I noticed was the doctor didn’t stick a tongue depressor in my mouth and ask me to say "ah."
He also didn’t have me change into one of those loose gowns to check my lungs. He stood to my side, and used his stethoscope through my clothes.
As always, he wanted me to get a shingles shot. I finally said OK, after he told me he probably has one case a month in Española, and most of the people hadn’t had chicken pox.
Then came the surprise. After promoting the importance of the vaccine, he said Medicare wouldn’t cover it. I hope my supplemental insurance will.
It reminded me again that the reasons people over 65 are more vulnerable to disease is many types of medical care aren’t available to them. The shingles vaccination cost $275, and a second is required. That’s a lot of money to pay out of a social security check.
Congress is particularly short-sighted, and as we’ve seen this year, has no idea of what constitutes the public good.
There are certain tests that should be required, and be free, for older people like refractions, which test for bad vision, and hearing loss. This isn’t simply for them. No one wants someone driving a car who has problems seeing or hearing.
It’s too soon to know if there’s a spike in positive tests for Coronavirus from the holiday. Most things were closed or on slow schedules until today. I calculate the total new cases for the past two weeks is 29, down from 40 on July 1.
Sources:
Wikipedia. "2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in New Mexico." Updated July 6.
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