Vaccine Advisor In nonhospitalized patients, treatment of acute COVID-19 with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir reduced long COVID risk in older vs younger adults, supporting its use in high-risk patients to prevent both acute severity and long-term sequelae. Treatment of acute COVID-19 with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is associated with a lower risk of developing long COVID in adults aged 50 years and older, but not in adolescents, according to study results published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
Long COVID encompasses more than 200 symptoms ranging from fatigue and shortness of breath to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. While the antiviral nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is well-established in reducing hospitalization and death in acute COVID-19, its potential to mitigate long-term sequelae remains uncertain.