Long COVID is affecting millions of individuals. Brain fog, trouble breathing, and neurological abnormalities are just a few of the lingering symptoms these patients face. Unfortunately, scientists are often confused and do not know the best way to treat it. This uncertainty places a burden on our healthcare system. 

Like other long-COVID sufferers, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is still experiencing mild symptoms after having COVID-19 two years ago. That’s why on March 2, 2022, Kaine, along with Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), introduced a bill to fund research into the long-term effects of the disease and expand treatment resources for people experiencing them.

What Was Senator Kaine’s Experience with COVID-19?

In March 2020, Kaine developed flu-like symptoms with many others who were also hit with the earliest wave of the virus. He tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in May 2020. Most of his symptoms, “very mild,” went away within weeks. However, the nerve-tingling never stopped.

“I tell people it feels like all my nerves have had like five cups of coffee,” Kaine said of his “24-7” tingling sensation.

He went to see a neurologist and got an MRI, but his doctor told him everything looked normal. While relieved, he was left baffled. “I know how my body felt before I got COVID, I know how it felt when I got COVID, and it’s not gone back to where it was before,” he said. “That gives me an understanding of people who talk about these long-COVID symptoms.”

While his nerve-tingling is frustrating, it is not debilitating or painful. Senator Kaine realizes many other long-COVID sufferers are not as fortunate. That is why he feels it is important to put more time and research into helping others who continue to struggle with breathing or remembering things or any other symptoms affecting their work and daily life. 

What Will the Bill Do? 

Multiple studies are underway to try to understand long COVID, and the bill from Kaine, Markey, and Duckworth seeks to accelerate and centralize the research. The National Institutes of Health launched a research initiative studying the consequences of a coronavirus infection, which includes an examination of long COVID.

“If we get the funding from Congress, we will launch new centers of excellence in communities across the country to provide high-quality care to individuals experiencing long COVID and to better understand the symptoms they’re facing,” Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary said upon the release of the Biden administration’s pandemic roadmap.

*Flynn, M. (2022, March 2). Kaine introduces bill to research and combat long COVID, after suffering it himself. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/02/kaine-long-COVID-bill/