2022

"How to treat COVID at home: Over-the-counter medications can help"


Scientific American interviewed Dr. Timothy Brewer, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of epidemiology, about self-care for COVID-19.

Stressed individual looking at paperwork and computer

Suzanne Myers was sick, concerned and a little confused. Myers, a 55-year-old who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and her husband are both vaccinated and boosted against COVID, and in early spring they went to a weekend party with about 20 other people at the home of friends. On the Monday morning after the party, Myers woke up with a sore throat.

“I thought maybe it was spring allergies,” she says. “Then I thought I should test.” Her first at-home COVID test was negative. But by Wednesday, she felt worse—in addition to a sore throat and congestion, she had a bad headache. She tested herself again and was positive.

Myers had questions about how to take care of herself. She wondered if over-the-counter (OTC) cold medicine would help. Because she has type 1 diabetes, an added risk factor for severe COVID, she wanted to know if she should try to get a prescription antiviral. There are more and more people with such questions as case numbers and test positivity rates climb again. The situation is leaving thousands at home as they try to figure out how best to get themselves over an illness that could be moderate but could also take a serious turn and that has killed about one million Americans.

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Faculty Referenced by this Article

Dr. Timothy Brewer
Timothy Brewer
Epidemiology
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Roberta Malmgren
Epidemiology
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Kelika Konda
Epidemiology
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Ondine S. von Ehrenstein
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Shira Shafir
Shira Shafir
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Paul Hsu
Paul Hsu
Epidemiology
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Frank J. Sorvillo
Epidemiology
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Dr. Beate Ritz
Beate Ritz
Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Marissa J. Seamans
Marissa Seamans
Epidemiology
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Akihiro Nishi
Epidemiology
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Karin Michels
Karin B. Michels
Epidemiology
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Dr. Marjan Javanbakht
Marjan Javanbakht
Epidemiology
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Ralph R. Frerichs, 12/25/21
Ralph R. Frerichs
Epidemiology
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Matthew Mimiaga
Matthew J. Mimiaga
Epidemiology
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Maral DerSarkissian
Epidemiology
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Naomi Greene
Naomi Greene
Epidemiology
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Catherine Carpenter
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Dallas Swendeman
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Annette Regan
Epidemiology
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Paul Dluzniewski
Epidemiology
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Dr. Dvora Joseph Davey
Dvora Joseph Davey

Dr. Joseph Davey is an infectious disease epidemiologist with over 20 years' experience leading research on HIV/STI services for women and children.

Epidemiology
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Anne Coleman
Anne Coleman
Epidemiology
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Leeka I. Kheifets
Epidemiology
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Tony Kuo
Tony Kuo
Epidemiology
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Robert Kim-Farley
Robert J. Kim-Farley

Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences

Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Lawrence Ash
Epidemiology
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Su Yong Jung
Su Yon Jung
Epidemiology
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Alexandra Binder
Epidemiology
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Jian Yu Rao
Epidemiology
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Roch Nianogo
Roch A. Nianogo
Epidemiology
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Amy Wohl
Epidemiology
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Julia Bailey
Epidemiology
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Teresa Ellen Seeman
Epidemiology
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Lisa V. Smith
Epidemiology
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Mia Hashibe
Epidemiology
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Sung-Jae Lee
Sung-Jae Lee
Epidemiology
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Christie Jeon
Epidemiology
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Haroutune Armenian
Haroutune Armenian
Epidemiology
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Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang
Zuo-Feng Zhang
Epidemiology
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Nathan Wong
Nathan D. Wong
Epidemiology
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Pamina Gorbach
Pamina Gorbach
Epidemiology
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Paul Simon
Epidemiology
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Noel Weiss
Epidemiology
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Dr. Roger Detels
Roger Detels
Epidemiology
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Jonathan Jacobs
Jonathan Jacobs
Epidemiology
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Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh
Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh
Epidemiology
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Najib Aziz
Epidemiology
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Susan Cochran
Susan Cochran
Epidemiology
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Jørn Olsen
Epidemiology
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Vonthanak Saphonn
Epidemiology
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Nicole Hoff
Epidemiology
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Dr. Brian Bradbury
Brian Bradbury
Epidemiology
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Otoniel Martinez-Maza
Otoniel Martinez-Maza
Epidemiology
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Niklas Krause
Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Anne Rimoin
Anne Rimoin
Epidemiology
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Sheena G. Sullivan
Epidemiology
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Peter R. Kerndt
Epidemiology
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Nina Harawa
Epidemiology
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Peter Katona
Epidemiology
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Epidemiology
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Jian Li
Jian Li
Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Sander Greenland
Sander Greenland
Epidemiology
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Elizabeth Rose Mayeda
Epidemiology
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Julia Heck
Julia Heck
Epidemiology
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Onyebuchi A. Arah
Epidemiology
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Ximena Vergara
Ximena Vergara
Epidemiology
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Dr. Liwei Chen
Liwei Chen

Professor in Epidemiology

Epidemiology
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Jody Heymann
Jody Heymann
Epidemiology Health Policy and Management
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