According to a VA study, Paxlovid may lower long-term Covid risk for some individuals.

According to a new study, patients with long-term covid who received Paxlovid treatment appeared to be less likely to experience several important symptoms related to long-term covid. Paxlovid is an oral antiviral that has proven to be highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death among elderly and at-risk patients.

The study, which used databases from the Department of Veterans Affairs, looked at over 50,000 patients who tested positive but did not use Paxlovid in addition to more than 9,000 persons who took the medication. In 10 of the 12 symptoms that were examined, including the frequent complaints of persistent weariness and brain fog, there was an approximate 25% reduction. Whether a person had received a vaccination or previously contracted an infection had no impact on the outcome.

Professor of immunobiology and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at Yale University Akiko Iwasaki remarked, "This work is highly important." It has public health ramifications that are still very important in today's world.

Researchers are nonetheless concerned about the individual suffering and population-wide dangers from extended covid, despite the fact that vaccinations have decreased the likelihood of hospitalization and mortality from infection with SARS-CoV-2.

According to information made public this summer by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Household Pulse Survey, almost 15% of adults have long-term covid, meaning their symptoms lasted three months or longer after becoming infected. The CDC recently improved the online poll to measure how much those symptoms are affecting long-haul drivers' capacity to do daily tasks.

Additionally, it supports the hypothesis that protracted symptoms may be caused, at least in part, by viral persistence, in which the virus is not completely eliminated by infected people.

The new study, which was supported by VA, was published online as a preprint, which indicates that peer review, which is required for academic journals, has not yet taken place. In the pressing context of the epidemic, preprint publication has increased, frequently resulting in a kind of practically immediate online peer review. A number of well-known virologists swiftly and favorably commented online.

“We have no treatment that has been validated to treat Long Covid,” Topol wrote. “Rigorous, randomized, definitive clinical trials are long overdue.”

According to Pfizer, the business is "collaborating with numerous universities to launch trials to assess Paxlovid for potential use in treating long covid." Paxlovid revenue was predicted by the business to be $22 billion in its 2022 financial outlook.

Because the mechanism(s) behind the wide range of reported symptoms have not been discovered, clinicians have been hindered in identifying particular treatments for long-term COVID. Leading explanations include the persistence of viruses, the formation of microclots, and acute inflammation, all of which have been linked to long-term harm in other research.

Iwasaki hypothesizes that by keeping the virus in the upper respiratory tract before it spreads to other organs, utilizing Paxlovid to stop the virus from replicating would not only prevent viral persistence but also the other processes.

"In order to examine Paxlovid as a means of preventing long-term COVID in the general population, prospective controlled studies are crucial", according to Abramoff.

Al-Aly, the study's primary author, said that the study also brought to his attention the striking underutilization of this beneficial medicine, with 85% of those eligible to receive an antiviral prescription not taking it. He questioned, "Is it because they weren't provided it or because they had reservations?

Al-Aly claimed that in the little period after the study's online publication, ordinary readers have drawn erroneous conclusions.

We're not advocating that everyone take Paxlovid, Al-Aly clarified. "At the moment, we are unsure of that. People must comprehend that."

If you recently had a positive test, here are 3 ways to purchase COVID tablets.

There are now many medicines available that could help you escape the worst and recover more rapidly from a mild or moderate case of COVID if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and you have common risk factors for serious disease. These treatments are typically inexpensive or free.

Contact your primary care physician.

If you have health insurance and access to your primary care provider or health care team, you can schedule an in-person or telehealth appointment to be tested (or share your positive test results), assessed for risks and medications, and, if eligible, get a prescription for the pills.

You would then fill the prescription at a nearby pharmacy.

Visit a test-to-treat facility.

Another option is to go to one of the 2,300 health centers, urgent care clinics, and pharmacies designated by the government as "test to treat" locations. These are locations with on-site prescribing capabilities and medications on hand.

Test-to-treat locations can be found on this map.

Consider using online urgent care.

Virtual healthcare platforms such as Plushcare, eMed, and Truepill offer online visits to test, assess, and prescribe COVID medications for those who prefer telehealth visits and may not be able to get an appointment quickly through their primary health care provider. Appointments are available at all hours and may incur some out-of-pocket expenses. Depending on the service, a prescription can be sent to a nearby pharmacy or filled and shipped to you.

What you can do in advance

If you're worried about getting COVID and want to plan ahead of time, experts recommend the following four steps:

• If you suspect you have COVID, be prepared to test quickly. "Have tests at home or know where you can access a testing site," advises HHS's Sullivan.

• Determine whether you have risk factors. Check to see if you have a condition that puts you at high risk for COVID, and discuss COVID treatments with your medical provider to see if you're eligible and to get any questions answered ahead of time.

• Check to see what your insurance covers and where you can get a timely consultation. In-network services are more likely to be covered by your insurance.

• Find pharmacies near you that sell Paxlovid so you know where to go if you need to fill a prescription.