Xavier Becerra, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, recently praised the establishment of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, which will lead the Long COVID coordination and response across the federal government. The Office of Long COVID Research will be located within HHS's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and led by Adm. Rachel Levine.
"As our nation continues to make strides in combating COVID-19, it is crucial that we address the impact of Long COVID and provide resources to those in need," Becerra said in a July 31 HHS news release. "Last year, President Biden called on HHS to coordinate the response to Long COVID. The official establishment of the Long COVID Coordinating office and the launch of the RECOVER clinical trials solidifies this issue as an ongoing priority."
Further, the National Institutes of Health launched the Long COVID clinical trials through the RECOVER Initiative, a $1.15 billion nationwide research program aimed at understanding, treating and preventing long-term symptoms following COVID-19 infection, the release reported.
The office is in charge of continuing to coordinate the entire government's response to COVID-19's longer-term effects, including Long COVID and related conditions, as well as the implementation of the National Research Action Plan on Long COVID and the Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19, the release reported.
Currently, 14 federal departments are working on Long COVID, including more than a dozen HHS operating and staff divisions, with the aim of lessening the effects of Long COVID by enhancing the quality of life for those who have it and minimizing disparities in Long COVID-related conditions, according to the release.
A $1.15 billion national research initiative, the NIH RECOVER Initiative aims to comprehend, treat and prevent protracted COVID, which is a term for symptoms that appear after being exposed to SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the release said. Long COVID is characterized by more than 200 symptoms, and it can affect nearly every body system, including the neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, autonomic and immune systems.
A broad and diversified research group of patients with Long COVID was developed by the 2021 launch of RECOVER. The initial phase of the program comprised starting extensive multi-site observational studies that looked at and followed people as they dealt with COVID-19 in order to understand why some people suffer long-lasting symptoms while others fully heal, the release reported. More than 24,000 people have been enrolled in the current investigations. Additionally, 60 million electronic health records are being analyzed, and more than 40 pathobiology studies are being done to determine how COVID-19 affects various human tissues and organs.
The study cohort took part in the RECOVER observational investigations, which allowed researchers to thoroughly describe the disease, the release said. This information is essential for guiding the design of clinical trials to test therapies.
Multiple treatments and therapies can be examined in the clinical trials across five main areas. Platform protocols for two of these domains were published July 31. Enrollment for the trials began at the end of July and will continue all summer, according to the release.
