Antiviral Therapy
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- May 25, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. KITCHEN - 11:30
PETER checks a "dose card" of Paxolovid and a bottle of Concillana Compound syrup.
PETER (V.O.): They're one of my regular food and drink for the second day.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): One side effect of taking Paxlovid is that I get a bitter taste in the mouth.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As another doctor-friend has alerted me of this in advance, I'm not alarmed.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As to the Concillana Compound syrup, I get a sweet taste in the mouth.
Peter begins to consume them.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can take them with or without food.
Act 2
INT. STUDIO - 19: 00
We hear some remote laughter from outside the window.
PETER (V.O.): Swimmers are having fun in the pool downstairs.
Resting on a sofa.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've stopped doing any exercises since I knew I got Covid.
Lying flat.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I need to conserve my energy to fight the Covid in me.
FLASHBACK
INT. CLINIC, WANG TAU HOM - DAY (Yesterday)
Nursing room. A NURSE clips one of Peter's fingers with an oximeter for a few seconds. We see "97" appearing on the oximeter screen.
PETER (V.O.): What's the significance of that?
Then, the nurse marks "SpO2" - "97" on Peter's "High Risk Group" chit.
Waiting room. Peter is surfing the web with his smartphone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): SpO2 is oxygen saturation - a measurement of how much oxygen my blood is carrying as a percentage of how much it could carry.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As a healthy person's normal SpO2 is between 96%-99%, I'm okay.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If my blood has low levels of oxygen, it can't deliver enough oxygen to my organs and tissues that need it to keep working.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm unconscious of most of my body's processes. How can I care more about my body's complex systems?
INT. CONSULTATION ROOM - LATER
Putting her stethoscope on different spots of Peter's back, the DOCTOR listens attentively.
DOCTOR: Clear sounds.
PETER (V.O.): I believe my airways are open and air is easily moving through airways.
DOCTOR (Cont'd): Kam Fai, do you want to take medicine?
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Calling me "Kam Fai" is heartwarming. It seems that taking medicine isn't a must in my case...
PETER: What are the side effects?
Having listened to the doctor's remarks, Peter nods.
PETER (V.O.): If I didn't take medicine in the early course of my illness, I'd have myself to blame if adverse consequences follow.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having antiviral therapy is also an experiential learning that I can share with others authentically.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For Paxlovid, there're morning dose and evening dose. I believe the active ingredients of the doses are different.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The tablets - one 100 mg and two 150 mg aren't small. Swallowing one at a time is difficult as I still have sore throat.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If one follows the instructions literally ie "at the same time", one might be choked to death.
Act 3
INT. KITCHEN - 23: 00
After taking the evening dose of Paxlovid, Peter is having some Concillana Compound syrup.
PETER (V.O.): I'm glad that I've an early antiviral therapy. I feel I'm on the way to recovery.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Nature's way is survival of the fittest. Medicine deals with the life process by curing diseases and prolonging life.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While doctors' right diagnoses cure patients, their care also brings healing comfort or hope.
FADE OUT
THE END
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