CDC director’s COVID returns as study finds such rebounds shockingly common
Enlarge / Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adjusts her protective mask during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has experienced a COVID-19 rebound-a return of mild symptoms and positive tests after completing a course of the antiviral drug Paxlovid and testing negative-the CDC announced today.
Walensky first tested positive on October 21 and experienced mild symptoms. She completed a five-day course of Paxlovid, recovered, and tested negative. But on Sunday, October 30, her mild symptoms returned, and she once again tested positive, the agency reported.
Walensky now joins the ever-growing ranks of people reporting rebounds after Paxlovid, including high-profile rebounders such as President Biden and top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. But, according to a small study published in JAMA Network Open last week, rebounds may be surprisingly common in all COVID-19 cases-even those not treated with Paxlovid.