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1) 🇺🇸 A new paper in Nature shows that viral reactivation is common in COVID-19, associated with severity and not primarily a consequence of immunosuppression. The association with Long Covid, however, was far from clear.

12/8/26, 7:57 am10 reposts28 likes

ME/CFS Science

@mecfsscience.org

12 Aug

2) This was a major study with 1,154 participants hospitalized with COVID-19 across 20 US hospitals between May 2020 and March 2021. Viruses were detected in blood, nasal swabs, and lung and airway fluid (in patients who were intubated).

ME/CFS Science

@mecfsscience.org

12 Aug

3) Samples were collected multiple times so we can see a trajectory of viral reactivation. EBV reactivation, for example, started high but quickly declined, whereas Anelloviridae reactivation showed a slower decline.

ME/CFS Science

@mecfsscience.org

12 Aug

4) The measurements were taken prior to the definition of Long Covid, but the study does include patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from which they made 4 LC subgroups.

ME/CFS Science

@mecfsscience.org

12 Aug

5) The paper notes, however: "Upon evaluating viral reactivation during the acute stage of COVID19, no significant relationship was found with PRO groups." So there was no link between viral reactivation during acute infection and Long Covid.