SAN DIEGO — COVID-19 is surging across the country, but some say they've experienced a 'rebound' after taking one kind of medication.
"Here I am again, positive again," said Oceanside resident, Stephanie Shotsky.
She's supposed to be on a trip but instead is sick with COVID for a second time just five days after testing negative.
It happened after taking Paxlovid, a treatment recommended for COVID patients who are at a higher health risk, either due to age or underlying conditions.
"Within a couple days, I felt like a new person it was unbelievable," said Shotsky.
It's the same medication prescribed to President Biden, who tested positive for COVID this week.
Taken in pill form, Paxlovid has shown to reduce COVID hospitalizations and deaths by 86%.
However, some patients can have an almost boomerang-like effect, causing symptoms and positive test results to return.
The phenomenon known as "COVID rebound" has prompted the CDC to issue a health advisory. A recent study at UCSD revealed that the patients experiencing rebound were not getting re-infected but symptoms just seem to take a pause.
"The anti viral knocks the virus down but it doesn't get rid of it completely. So that when they stop the medication the same virus that's been hiding just comes back," said Davey Smith, Chief of Infectious Diseases at UCSD.
Researchers found symptoms after a rebound have typically been mild and only last a few days.
Paxlovid remains highly recommended to those who are eligible.
"The reason to take it is because it works." said Smith. "It keeps people out of the hospital."
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