Study Reveals COVID-19 Reactivates Dormant Viruses, Impacting Long-Term Health
A recent study published in Nature has found that severe COVID-19 can reactivate dormant viruses in hospitalized patients. Conducted by researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and other U.S. institutions, the study involved 1,154 patients across 20 biomedical research hospitals. The research identified 11 reactivated viruses, including Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, within the first 40 days of hospital admission. Notably, the reactivation of Anelloviridae, a virus typically latent in about 90% of the population, was linked to long-term physical disability and long COVID. The study challenges the prevailing view that chronic viral reactivation is primarily due to immune suppression, suggesting instead that inflammation plays a significant role. 
