IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-61737-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

SARS-CoV-2 rebound and post-acute mortality and hospitalization among patients admitted with COVID-19: cohort study

Author

Listed:
  • Ka Chun Chong

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Yuchen Wei

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Katherine Min Jia

    (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

  • Christopher Boyer

    (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

  • Guozhang Lin

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Huwen Wang

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Conglu Li

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Chi Tim Hung

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Xiaoting Jiang

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Carrie Ho Kwan Yam

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Tsz Yu Chow

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Yawen Wang

    (The University of Hong Kong)

  • Shi Zhao

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Tianjin Medical University)

  • Kehang Li

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Aimin Yang

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Chris Ka Pun Mok

    (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • David SC Hui

    (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Eng Kiong Yeoh

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Zihao Guo

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

Recent investigations have demonstrated a relationship between the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and post-COVID-19 conditions. Building upon a potential connection between SARS-CoV-2 persistence and early virologic rebound, we examine the association of early virologic rebound with post-acute mortality and hospitalization due to post-acute sequelae among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Our study includes 13,859, 3959, and 4502 patients in the all-patient, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, and molnupiravir group, respectively. Results show that patients who experienced virologic rebound exhibited a significantly higher risk of post-acute mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–1.70) with a risk difference [RD] of 7.19%, compared with patients without virologic rebound. A similar increase in the risk of post-acute mortality is also observed in nirmatrelvir/ritonavir-treated patients (HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.41–2.25; RD, 12.55%) and molnupiravir-treated patients (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.18–1.82; RD, 4.90%). The virologic rebound may thus serve as an early marker for post-COVID-19 condition, enabling healthcare officials to monitor and provide timely intervention for long COVID.

Suggested Citation

  • Ka Chun Chong & Yuchen Wei & Katherine Min Jia & Christopher Boyer & Guozhang Lin & Huwen Wang & Conglu Li & Chi Tim Hung & Xiaoting Jiang & Carrie Ho Kwan Yam & Tsz Yu Chow & Yawen Wang & Shi Zhao & , 2025. "SARS-CoV-2 rebound and post-acute mortality and hospitalization among patients admitted with COVID-19: cohort study," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-61737-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61737-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61737-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-61737-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-61737-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.