AUTHOR=Sumi Tomonari , Harada Kouji 

TITLE=Vaccine and antiviral drug promise for preventing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, and their combination for its treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1329162

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2024.1329162

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=We developed a mathematical model of the immune response to vaccination and viral infection with SARS-CoV-2, incorporating immune memory cells. Similar to our previous model, persistent infection was observed by the residual virus in the host, implying the possibility of chronic inflammation and delayed recovery from tissue injury. Pre-infectious vaccination and antiviral medication administered during onset can reduce the acute viral load; however, they show no beneficial effects in preventing persistent infection. Therefore, the impact of these treatments on the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), which has been clinically observed, is mainly attributed to their role in preventing severe tissue damage caused by acute viral infections. For PASC patients with persistent infection, vaccination was observed to cause an immediate rapid increase in viral load, followed by a temporary decrease over approximately one year. The former was effectively suppressed by the coadministration of antiviral medications, indicating that this combination is a promising treatment for PASC.