Covid, Post Covid, Long Covid, and More

The discussion emphasizes the complexity of COVID-19, its long-term effects, and the challenges in treating and managing both acute and chronic cases. The doctors stress the need for more research and better recognition of long COVID as a significant health issue.

-COVID-19 is still present, with infection rates rising in some areas.
Masking is no longer common but recommended in crowded settings like airports and planes.
The severity and duration of acute COVID-19 infections vary widely between individuals.

Treatment Approaches

Paxlovid is recommended for COVID-19 treatment, with a low threshold for prescription.
Other treatments include vitamin D megadosing, quercetin, H1 and H2 blockers, fluids, vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, cyproheptadine, and amantadine (for residual symptoms).

COVID-19 in Complex Illness Patients

Complex illness patients don't seem to have more severe acute COVID-19 infections.
They may be at higher risk for long COVID symptoms.
Treatment approach is similar to that for ME/CFS patients.

Long COVID and ME/CFS

Long COVID and ME/CFS are considered very similar, if not identical, illnesses.
Both involve POTS, MCAS, SIBO, and often EBV reactivation.
Long COVID may show an accelerated progression compared to ME/CFS.
Neurological symptoms are prominent in long COVID patients.

Treatment Challenges and Approaches

Disability claims for long COVID patients face significant hurdles.
Advanced treatments like plasmapheresis, rapamycin, exosomes, and stem cells show promise.
Enovid nasal spray is mentioned as a potential preventive measure.

Vaccination

Both doctors strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination.
They acknowledge the risk of adverse reactions but believe benefits outweigh risks.
Spacing out vaccine doses may be beneficial.

This is an additional brief summary with references on Covid and Long Covid generated from Perplexity:
COVID-19 in 2025: Current Status and Management

COVID-19 remains a constant but manageable threat in 2025[1].
Daily reported deaths in the US have decreased to around 280 per day as of February 2025[1].
The virus is now considered endemic, circulating at more predictable levels[1].

Long COVID and ME/CFS

Long COVID occurs in at least 10% of SARS-CoV-2 infections[2].
A RECOVER study found that 4.5% of post-COVID-19 participants met ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, compared to 0.6% of non-infected participants[3].
New cases of ME/CFS were 15 times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic[6].

Treatment Approaches

Various treatments show promise for long COVID, including antihistamines, anticoagulants, and supplements like coenzyme Q10[2].
Cognitive behavioral therapy and physical/mental health rehabilitation likely improve long COVID symptoms[8].
Stellate ganglion blocks and low-dose naltrexone have shown potential in improving quality of life for long COVID patients[5].

Ongoing Research and Challenges

RECOVER, NIH's national program, continues to study long COVID[3][6].
There's an urgent need for clear management guidelines for primary care providers[5].
Considerable resources, including $1 billion from NIH, have been invested in studying long COVID[8].

This summary provides an overview of the current state of COVID-19 and long COVID in 2025, highlighting treatment approaches, research efforts, and ongoing challenges.

Sources


Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations https://www.nature.com/articles/s4157...
NIH-funded study finds cases of ME/CFS increase following COVID-19 https://recovercovid.org/news/nih-fun...
Five Years Later: Ongoing COVID-19 Challenges, Next Steps https://www.ajmc.com/view/five-years-...
Long COVID management: a mini review of current ... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
RECOVER Research Update: March 2025 https://recovercovid.org/news/recover...
Interventions for the management of long covid (post-covid condition) https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj-2...
Are we ready for the next pandemic? - JHU Hub https://hub.jhu.edu/2025/03/19/lesson...
[ Post COVID-19 condition (long COVID) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sh...)
COVID-19 and post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic ... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
The persistence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
The 5-Year Anniversary of COVID-19 - Psychiatric Times https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view...
Long-term effects of COVID-19 (long COVID) - NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-1...