With COVID levels high across most of the country, some people may find themselves experiencing symptoms of COVID rebound in the coming weeks.
“COVID rebound is a recurrence of COVID symptoms after initial improvement or a new positive test after a negative one,” Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of infection prevention at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, tells TODAY.com.
Earlier in the pandemic, COVID rebound was thought to be mostly caused by taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid, as many of these patients would notice symptoms returning a few days after finishing treatment. But a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no consistent link between taking Paxlovid and those who experienced COVID rebound.
Here’s a review on what we know so far about COVID rebound, as the U.S. continues to ride its second-largest COVID wave.
What is COVID rebound?
COVID rebound occurs when COVID symptoms stop and then return days later. It’s not exactly clear why it happens.
The current evidence suggests COVID rebound usually occurs three to seven days after an infection resolves in patients, according to the December CDC report.
Here are some typical characteristics of COVID rebound:
- Symptoms are usually mild.
- You are unlikely to require hospitalization.
- The illness lasts usually less than a week.
- It is not specifically associated with Paxlovid.
Paxlovid was granted full approval in May 2023 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults 18 and older who have mild or moderate COVID and are high risk for severe disease. Research shows it can substantially reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID, including hospitalization and death.
It’s prescribed to patients at high risk for complications to prevent them from getting so sick that they need to go to the hospital. Treatment lasts five days.
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Who gets COVID rebound?
It’s not…
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