Aug. 10 (UPI) — New data published on Thursday reveals that the prevalence of long COVID among Americans has declined from 7.5% in June 2022 to 6% in June 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Long COVID refers to the condition where a person experiences symptoms of the illness for more than four weeks after recovering from the viral infection.
“A retrospective cohort study conducted across eight large integrated U.S. health systems indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to a 4% increase in healthcare utilization over the six months following a positive test result,” stated the CDC in a press release on Thursday.
In a bid to address the long-term impacts of the pandemic, the Biden administration recently established the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice within the Department of Health and Human Services.
“The Office of Long COVID Research and Practice will enhance the ongoing efforts of the U.S. government to improve the lives of individuals who continue to suffer from the long-lasting effects of this devastating public health crisis,” said Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Health Department.
Under the RECOVER Initiative backed by $1.15 billion in funding, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced their plans to conduct trials aimed at understanding and treating long COVID.
In July, the NIH revealed that it would enroll patients in four potential long COVID treatments, while also exploring an additional seven potential treatments.
“The NIH is committed to a highly coordinated and scientifically rigorous approach in order to identify effective treatments that will provide relief for the millions of individuals living with long COVID,” stated Lawrence Tabak, the acting director of the NIH.
