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COVID-19 patients vaccinated against the novel coronavirus were less likely to have symptoms of post-COVID condition (PCC), or long COVID, according to a new study in Nature Communications. The study was based on outcomes seen among patients in eight large healthcare systems in the United States who had positive SARS-CoV-2 tests between March 2021 and February 2022. (Soucheray, 5/22)

A new study in mice, published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, tested a new antiviral, a small molecule inhibitor called obeldesivir, against SARS-CoV-2. Like remdesivir and molnupiravir, it “targets what is an Achilles heel of coronaviruses: this particular protein that … is required for the virus to copy itself and keep infecting new cells,” said lead author David Martinez, an assistant professor in the department of immunobiology at Yale. (Merelli, 5/22)

The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday adopted an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would push the Department of Defense to rehire U.S. service members who were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. The measure, which would require the Pentagon to create a robust plan for rehiring those service members, was adopted by voice vote as the committee considered a round of amendments for a markup of the 2025 national defense authorization act (NDAA). (Dress, 5/22)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commenced formal debarment proceedings against Dr. Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance – a firm that used taxpayer funds to conduct gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The move took place on Tuesday evening, according to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, and came one week after HHS implemented an immediate, government-wide suspension on all funds allocated to EcoHealth Alliance. (Morris, 5/22)