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

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.