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Vaccination and antiviral treatment with nirmatrelvir (a component of Paxlovid) lower risks for hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 (NEJM JW Infect Dis Jun 2022 and BMJ 2022; 377:69317; NEJM JW Gen Med Oct 1 2022 and N Engl J Med 2022; 387:790). Do vaccination and nirmatrelvir prevent post–COVID-19 condition (“long COVID”)? Two recent reports provide some answers to this question.
In a meta-analysis of 41 studies that involved 861,000 patients, researchers identified demographic and other factors associated with significant excess risk for long COVID in adults: female sex; older age; body-mass index (BMI), ≥30 kg/m2; current smoking; comorbidities (e.g., asthma, diabetes, heart disease, immunosuppression); and previous hospitalization …