- People who recently had COVID-19 are at higher risk for other viral and bacterial infections, according to a paper published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The researchers used Veterans Affairs electronic health records from over 800,000 people, and compared infection history between those who had a positive COVID-19 test and those who did not. Those who tested positive had higher rates of bacterial and viral infections, including Epstein-Barr virus and seasonal respiratory viruses, in the year following their COVID-19 diagnosis. The study follows many testimonies from people with Long COVID about worse symptoms following new infections of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.
- A 15-day course of Paxlovid did not “significantly improve health outcomes in participants with Long COVID,” according to a new study led by Yale University researchers in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The phase two clinical trial of nearly 100 participants tested the drug twice a day but, similarly to the Stanford trial, did not offer improvement for participants. Still, the study, which researchers made more accessible for more severe participants by mailing the drug, has shown that decentralized trials can be successful and more inclusive. “We hope to use this platform for any future studies that don’t require a doctor’s visit for drug treatment,” one of the researchers, Akiko Iwasaki said in a press release.
- A second study — a preprint in medXriv — showed that Paxlovid taken within 5 days of infection with COVID-19 did help with the acute phase of COVID-19 in children, but was not associated with a lower risk of Long COVID diagnosis. The study, led by researchers affiliated with RECOVER, assessed electronic health records from over 2,900 children who took the drug within five days of COVID-19 infection and compared them with over 30,000 controls. “This underscores the necessity for ongoing research to fully understand the potential of [Paxlovid] in managing the long-term consequences of COVID-19 among adolescents,” the authors concluded.
- Rapamycin, a drug used for organ transplants, may help alleviate symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), according to preliminary results from a small study shared at a conference last week. Researcher Stephanie Grach posted her team’s presentation on Twitter/X: in initial findings from a group of 40 participants, multiple ME symptom surveys showed improvement following low doses of the drug. The study group, which includes researchers at the Bateman Horne Center, Mayo Clinic, and Stanford, will share further results in an upcoming paper. The Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness at Mount Sinai is also studying rapamycin for Long COVID in a separate trial.
