Post-COVID depression and its multiple factors, does Favipiravir have a protective effect? A longitudinal study of indonesia COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) not only has a long-term effect on its survivors, it also affects their quality of life, including inducing depression as a possible manifestation of central nervous system disruption. Favipiravir shows promising efficacy as an antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19. However, its effect on the sequelae of COVID-19 has not been explored. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of Favipiravir and address the factors associated with post-COVID depression in Indonesia. METHOD: This cohort study conducted a post-COVID-19 survey on Indonesian patients who were diagnosed by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antigen tests until January 2022. An online questionnaire was distributed to obtain information on demographics, comorbidities, health behavior, symptoms, and treatment. The propensity technique was used to allocate the participants into the favipiravir and nonrecipient groups (1:1). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used for outcome measurement. The cohort was followed up biweekly for 60 days after onset/diagnosis to determine the occurrence of depression. Cox regression analysis with an adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval was used to estimate the effect of favipiravir on post-COVID-19 depression. RESULTS: The data included the information of 712 participants, of whom 18.54% had depression within 60 days after onset/diagnosis. Depression was higher in the nonrecipient group (21.06%) than in the favipiravir group (16.01%). After adjustment by other factors, favipiravir prescription was found to be associated with depression (aOR 0.488, 95% CI 0.339-0.701 p < 0.001). In accordance with the PHQ-9 subset, favipiravir exerted a significant protective effect against depressive mood and loss of interest. However, patients living alone were prone to experiencing loss of interest (aOR 2.253, 95% CI 1.329-3.818, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The data obtained in this preliminary survey suggested that favipiravir may be useful for preventing post-COVID depression. However, further study is needed. Moreover, the provision of mental health support, particularly to those who live alone, must be ensured. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry NCT05060562.

Vaccination status, favipiravir, and micronutrient supplementation roles in post-COVID symptoms: A longitudinal study.

INTRODUCTION: Post-COVID symptoms are the new concern in the COVID-19 pandemic, where recovered patients experience residual symptoms affecting their quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the role of complete vaccination, prescribed medication, and micronutrients during COVID episodes in the occurrence of post-COVID symptoms. METHOD: A longitudinal evaluation of Indonesia's recovered COVID-19 patients was performed using the data collected from July 2021 and extracted in mid-February 2022. All participants were confirmed with a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR) and/or antigen test. This study collected demography and comorbidities information, symptoms and treatment of COVID-19, and collection of self-reported post-COVID symptoms every 30 days within 90 days after diagnosis/onset. Exposures of interest include vaccination status, Favipiravir administration, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc. A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) was used to evaluate the longitudinal effect of exposures, presented with adjusted odds ratios and its 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 923 participants (18.2% fully-vaccinated) were involved in the study, with 79.7% being non-hospitalized. Only 25.7% did not develop any residual symptoms within 90 days. Fatigue was the most reported post-COVID symptom in each measurement time (39.5%, 16.3%, and 7.3%). Full-vaccination was effective against chronic cough (aOR 0.527, 95% CI 0.286-0.971), chronic headache (aOR 0.317, 95% CI 0.163-0.616), and chronic arthritis (aOR 0.285, 95% CI 0.116-0.703). The combination of micronutrient supplementations and Favipiravir gave no significant effect on all post-COVID symptoms. However, early initiation of Favipiravir and delaying vitamin D administration were associated with arthritis. CONCLUSION: Full vaccination of COVID-19 prevents the disease and the development of residual symptoms when infected with SARS-COV-2. Hence, it is crucial to reconsider the prescription of micronutrient supplementation or adjust the dose of Favipiravir in the current guideline.