Sen. Bernie Sanders on April 9 released a draft proposal for legislation that calls for $10 billion in mandatory funding over the next 10 years to address long COVID-19, which affects millions of Americans.
The proposal calls for $1 billion to be earmarked per year over the next 10 years, which would be used to establish a long COVID research program at the National Institutes of Health. The draft also tasks the NIH with standing up an expedited process for researchers to apply for clinical trial grants to study long COVID interventions, establish a long COVID database and research advisory board.
The Vermont senator is seeking public input from patients, researchers and medical professionals before formally introducing the legislation.
"Far too many patients with Long COVID have struggled to get their symptoms taken seriously," Mr. Sanders, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said in a news release. "Far too many medical professionals have either dismissed or misdiagnosed their health problems. That has got to change."
About 7% of all U.S. adults, or 17 million people, reported currently having long COVID in March, according to updated estimates from KFF. Roughly 3 in 10 people indicate they've had long COVID at some point, with about 1 in 10 saying they have it now.
"Rates of long COVID have remained consistent for the last year, suggesting they may persist indefinitely unless new forms of prevention or treatment are discovered," KFF said in its newest estimates.
In February, the NIH announced it would put an additional $515 million toward long COVID research, though advocates have called for more federal resources and coordination to speed up progress.