Could antivirals help prevent long COVID?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-05-16 01:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

People who take antiviral medicines soon after getting COVID-19 may be less likely to develop long COVID symptoms, a large Japanese study suggests. Researchers followed nearly 7,700 people during Omicron subvariant waves in 2024 and found those who received antiviral treatment early were less likely to still have symptoms like tiredness, coughing, breathing problems or loss of smell and taste three months later. People who took antivirals were also more likely to have returned to their usual health after 84 days. The researchers say early antiviral treatment may help reduce the long-term impacts of COVID.