# Severe COVID-19 reactivates 11 dormant viruses, study finds 2026-08-16T06:52:10+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets A large multi-omic study of 1,154 hospitalised COVID-19 patients found that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection can reactivate 11 dormant viruses, including Epstein-Barr (EBV), herpes simplex 1 and cytomegalovirus. Reactivation was most detected within 40 days of admission and linked to disease severity. Earlier research had already shown higher EBV reactivation in COVID-19 patients. A 2025 study reported EBV reactivation in 28.6% of people with persistent post-COVID symptoms, compared with 11.3% of controls. The authors said EBV reactivation 'plays a role' in Long COVID, though the observational design cannot establish causation. Not all COVID patients experience reactivation; a separate study of mild cases found no EBV DNA in symptomatic individuals. Scientists caution that the phenomenon is not automatically dangerous and that its clinical significance requires further investigation. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com - deccanherald.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T12:04:33+00:00. Tags: Covid-19, Epstein-Barr virus, SARS-CoV-2 Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/severe-covid-19-may-reactivate-dormant-viruses-study-finds/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/severe-covid-19-may-reactivate-dormant-viruses-study-finds/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/