[adhesive_wombat]

I've often gotten a cold sore after a virus, I always just assumed it was probably that immunity is a bit wonky after an infection. In fact I think "cold sore" is so called exactly because a cold can set it off. I'd be extremely surprised if Covid was any different, if for no other reason than many colds are also coronaviruses.

Also to add a data point, 7 of the first 10 results for "herpes covid" from a UK IP are papers about it, including the first 5. The NHS page comes in at result 7, one is (allegedly) a science news website, and number 10 is a general news website.

[iypx]

Googling exactly "herpes covid" from my IP, gives 10/10 papers on the first page. On second page, I got 4 more papers, a paper disproving it, one reuters article about misuse of antivirals, and 4 articles about new drugs. This is fun.

Thinking now, I might have been in some kind of Google-bubble at that time, since I started my search with symptoms at first, and later I started making connections. So I guess Google decided I need to see a doctor :)