Should I take a pill to prevent Long COVID?

RECENT PRELIMINARY RESEARCH HAS found that certain medications may reduce the chance of developing Long COVID if taken shortly after catching COVID-19.

- JAMIE DUCHARME

One of the most promising is Paxlovid, an antiviral authorized to treat COVID-19 for people at high risk of severe disease, including elderly adults and people with underlying conditions. In a March 23 study of more than 280,000 people, researchers found that people in this category who took Paxlovid within five days of testing positive were 26% less likely to have Long COVID symptoms six months later.

The other intriguing drug is metformin, a Type 2 diabetes drug approved in the 1990s. Research suggests it may have antiviral properties too. In one recent study (which has not yet been peer-reviewed), overweight or obese adults who took metformin when they had COVID-19 cut their risk of Long COVID by more than 40%, compared with those who didn’t take the drug.