US President Joe Biden commented on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before receiving the second Covid-19 booster vaccine on March 30, 2022 in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office building at the White House in Washington.
Kevin Lamarck | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Tuesday instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to lead a federal effort to investigate the diagnosis and treatment of chronic covid.
According to the White House, the National Research Plan will accelerate the enrollment of 40,000 people in a study by the National Institutes of Health on the long-term effects of the Covid-19 infection. The NIH launched a large study in September called Recovery.
The federal effort will also tap a nationwide survey from the Department of Veterans Affairs about the persistent symptoms after covid infection and a Department of Defense study on the risk factors for developing the disease among service members.
HHS Secretary Xavier Besser and the White House Covid Response Team will discuss the initiative during a press briefing at ET at 3 p.m.
Some people with covid infection experience symptoms months later. These symptoms, which are debilitating for some people, include difficulty breathing, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, body aches, tingling sensations and mood swings.
Even those who suffered from a mild illness after the infection and who initially had no symptoms may develop chronic covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other people also experience autoimmune conditions that can affect multiple organ systems, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain function. According to the CDC, about 8,000 children developed this type of symptom, known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C. At least 6 children have died from MIS-C.
In July, the HHS and the Department of Justice stated that individuals with long covids are eligible to be protected against discrimination under Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the Medicare and Medicaid Services Center, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance programs must cover long covid treatments.
Biden’s 2023 budget will invest $ 20 million to help provide better care to long-suffering patients, including the development of multispecialty clinics. The budget also includes $ 25 million to encourage CDC research into the causes and health effects of long covid.
Congress has shown less willingness than the Biden administration to fund U.S. Covid response. On Monday, senators reached a $ 10 billion supplemental covid fund deal for therapeutics, vaccines and testing – less than half of what the White House wanted.