Paxlovid May Cut Your Risk Of Long COVID, New Study Shows

Europa Press News via Getty Images Paxlovid, a treatment for COVID-19, could reduce a patient's risk of developing long-term symptoms if taken within five days of getting diagnosed. A new study, which was published online but has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that eligible people who took Paxlovid within five days of being diagnosed with COVID-19 had a significantly lower chance of experiencing long-term symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive issues and muscle pain, plus kidney, liver and heart problems. The research team then calculated how effective the treatment was up to 90 days after the infection and found that those who took Paxlovid — three pills taken twice a day for five days — had a 26% lower risk of long COVID. Keep in mind that there are many other questions that need to be answered about Paxlovid — like whether people may benefit if they start taking it more than five days after being diagnosed, if it can be taken for shorter or longer periods of time, if the findings can be generalized to all races and ethnicities, and if there’s a certain viral load that needs to be reached in order to reduce the risk of long COVID, Diamond said.