Understanding long Covid: why researchers are turning to gut bacteria for answers

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have identified gut bacteria patterns that may be used to predict, diagnose and help treat long Covid. Professor Siew Chien Ng, associate director of the university’s Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, says a simple stool test can tell recovered Covid-19 patients their risks of suffering the effects of long Covid with 90 per cent accuracy. The initial study involved stool samples from more than 100 patients, with researchers set to increase the sample size to between 3,000-5,000 to improve the accuracy of results, Professor Ng tells the Post’s Alkira Reinfrank. The team is also set to conduct a clinical trial of a “microbiome immunity formula” to reduce the risk of Covid patients developing long Covid in the future.