J. Ross Quigley CEO Medipac International Inc. Insurance Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is our new nemesis. Trouble breathing, coughing up nasty stuff, high fever, headaches and very sore muscles. It is really a kiddie’s disease, but it is now attacking seniors, too. My wife and I have both had it. The symptoms were so severe that they were frightening, and they lasted for weeks. My fever ran up to 107 degrees. Our doctors and the local hospital (referred to by our doctor) have all tried to figure it out, but without success. We have cost the Canadian medical system an enormous amount of money and, basically, have gotten nowhere. We have worn halter monitors, had serious heart and lung tests and been subjected to CT scans and X-rays. AND… we’ve been prescribed antibiotics and puffers and nasal rinses and even prednisone. The results of the tests were amazing; we were perfect – they could find nothing wrong. (Just so you know, the drugs did very little to improve our issues.) We were very grateful for all of the attention and testing that we received, and I could not imagine a more intensive annual checkup. Thank you to all of the nurses and doctors who tried to take care of us, but I do not understand why they couldn’t diagnose RSV. I found it on the Internet one night when I couldn’t sleep due to coughing. There it was – every symptom that we had, laid out in a nice, neat order. There appears to be no cure, but the symptoms can be relieved. RSV is on the increase around America and we must be very careful. Social distancing is still an effective tool. This year’s travel insurance claims will be driven by RSV and RSV will cause strokes, heart issues and lung complications. They are madly searching for a cure and, hopefully, they will find one soon. As I am sure you are aware by now, we have launched our 2023/24 Early Bird Travel Insurance. We have experienced brutal inflation, particularly in the U.S., and hospital stays are getting longer. We have been forced to implement modest rate increases, but have added two percentage points to our Loyalty Credit discount to help offset the increase. The discount is now 10%, as opposed to last year’s 8%. We have also increased our superannuate credits by almost 20% and lowered our Annual Add-On charges. We have retained our Covid vaccination discount for Early Birds, but I suspect that it will disappear for our Main Season as these vaccinations are becoming more suspect as time goes on. Studies from notable sources indicate declining value and increasingly negative issues with multiple Covid boosters. I, personally, have decided to stop getting booster shots and I believe that this is the right decision. We must all stay active and healthy, which is our best defence to ward off this new malady. So, lots of activities, exercise and walks when we can should be at the top of our agenda. Happy summer and do not forget to get your Early Bird application submitted. 12 | www.snowbirds.org
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