00:00 A commonly used drug could be the answer to preventing long COVID.
00:04 Metformin, a drug generally used to treat type 2 diabetes,
00:07 was seen to reduce the risk of getting long COVID by 63%
00:11 if started in the first four days of the infection.
00:14 The risk of getting long COVID was reduced by 42%
00:18 if the infected person started taking metformin after four days,
00:22 reports the HuffPost.
00:23 The research published in The Lancet says the results are promising.
00:27 If it turns out that this holds up in the real world,
00:30 it could be a low-cost way to tackle long COVID.
00:33 Scientists still need to do lots of research
00:36 in order to definitely determine the best course of treatment.
00:39 Until then, the best way to prevent long COVID
00:42 is to do all you can not to get a COVID infection in the first place.
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