COVID-19 Rebound in Some Patients Who Take Paxlovid

The journal JAMA (Rubin, R.) 6.8.22 published “From Positive to Negative to Positive Again—The Mystery of Why COVID-19 Rebounds in Some Patients Who Take Paxlovid.” The author provides an overview of the incidence of COVID rebound cases in patients who had taken Pfizer’s antiviral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, aka, Paxlovid. In late spring of 2022, rebound cases were being reported in medical literature and on social media, urging the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Health Alert Network to issue a health advisory on May 24, 2022.

The advisory states that COVID-19 rebound cases in people who were treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir appear to be moderate and short-term, typically resolving in three days with no further anti-COVID-19 treatment. The CDC did not recommend stopping the use of Paxlovid to treat COVID. The health advisory included a statement, in boldface type, affirming that the agency will continue to recommend Paxlovid for early treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 cases among those who are at high risk for severe disease.

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For more information:

Read the May 24, 2022, Health Alert Network advisory.

Read coverage of rebounding coverage in JAMA’s Medical News & Perspectives.

Read about COVID-19 and Lyme disease.