Feasibility Pilot Clinical Trial of Omega-3 (EPA+DHA) Supplement vs. Placebo for Post-Acute Sequelae of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) Recovery Among Health Care Workers
This is a two-arm, double blind randomized 12-week study to supplement omega-3 (Eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA + docosahexaenoic acid - DHA) among 100 adults (age 18+) who had coronavirus-19 (covid-19) and are experiencing possible after-effects from post-acute sequelae of covid-19 (also called post-covid syndrome or long covid syndrome).
• Team member at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Age: 18+
• Willing to provide informed consent
• Formal diagnosis of COVID-19 via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)test (if home test was done, team member must confirm via PCR test)
• Outpatient treatment only for covid-19; no hospitalization (most team members will be vaccinated and may likely have milder case)
• Must be experiencing 1+ ongoing covid-19 symptom being measured in this study (respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath, cough), fatigue, loss of taste, loss of smell)
• Symptom(s) have persisted for more than 12 weeks after initial infection
• Symptom(s) coincided with covid-19 infection and were not present prior to covid-19 infection
• Does not have soy allergy
• Does not have allergy to fish
• Able to participate in bi-weekly surveys in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)
• Able to take own blood pressure and record it in bi-weekly REDCap survey
• Willing to participate in 12-week study and be assigned to either intervention or placebo arm
• Not currently taking an omega-3 supplement or other high-dose supplement (over 2,000 IU) with potential for aiding recovery of long covid syndrome (e.g. zinc, Vit C, Elderberry).
• Able to take/swallow six mini-pills daily
• Able and willing to give a spot blood sample (2 drops) at baseline and end of study.