Amid passionate criticism from individuals living with long COVID, as well as their loved ones and public health advocates writ large, the Biden Administration has announced plans to significantly increase research efforts into the scope, prevalence, and impact of the condition. The White House is hoping that the increased attention and resources will answer key questions for the millions of Americans who have had their lives disrupted by persistent symptoms. 

What Will These New Research Efforts Look Like?

One of the bedrock objectives the administration hopes to accomplish is increasing sluggish enrollment in a pivotal NIH study that, despite receiving $1.2 billion in funding, had only reached 3% of its recruitment goal of 40,000 as of mid-March. 

The study will be the most heavily funded to-date, with the potential to paint the most accurate and detailed picture of the rate and impact of long COVID in the United States. The White House said it would accelerate enrollment efforts, but has provided little detail as to how it will accomplish this task. 

A Long Time Coming for Long-Term COVID

The Biden Administration has faced increased criticism from long COVID patients and public health advocates over its lack of action and misdirected efforts regarding research of the condition. One specific group of respected public health experts recently characterized the federal government’s current research efforts as “siloed, with barriers to sharing resources and data.”

Among the many steps that experts would like to see taken as part of the new research efforts are: 

• Funding and research for treatments rather than just studying patients’ symptoms
• Soliciting more patient input and involvement in research
• Specific funding for clinical trials that can lead to long-term treatments 

As more and more Americans are going about their lives as though the pandemic is over, millions more have been left with lingering symptoms that impact their ability to stay active, work, and maintain their quality of life. These newly invigorated research initiatives will hopefully provide much-needed answers to patients who have waited far too long for them. 

*Cohrs, R. (2022, April 5). Biden administration ramps up long Covid research efforts following criticism. STAT News. https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/05/biden-admin-ramps-up-long-covid-research/