Biden Announces Long COVID Strategy as Experts Push for More

Washington Post / By Dan Diamond and Frances Stead Sellers 
 
President Biden on Tuesday directed government agencies to take additional steps to research and treat long covid, a condition that remains often mysterious even as it has sickened millions of Americans.
 
Under a memorandum issued by Biden, the Department of Health and Human Services will coordinate a government-wide action plan to address long covid, which is estimated to afflict anywhere from 7.7 million to 23 million Americans, according to a recent federal watchdog report.
 
The government also will issue a report in 120 days detailing available services and support for those who suffer from long covid, accelerate efforts to enroll participants in a clinical research study and pursue federal protections for people with the condition.
 
The government will expand a nationwide network of long covid clinics being run through the Department of Veterans Affairs, with officials saying they are already providing new insights on how to care for long covid patients. Federal officials will also launch a new initiative, dubbed the “Health+ project,” to solicit feedback from people living with long covid and use it to shape practices at clinics nationwide.
 
Experts who have been studying the condition, which is linked to fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms that can linger for weeks, months or even years, hailed Biden for assembling a government-wide effort to combat long covid. They said it was an overdue recognition of the condition’s impact and reach. But many also said the administration must go further in devoting resources and making long covid a priority, reiterating that millions of people are eager for immediate treatment and help.

Read Full Article