Researchers and international organizations are probing for more information on long COVID studies run by the National Institutes of Health because of exercise measurements, Nature reported March 31.
In trials to find possible treatments for long COVID, the NIH's RECOVER initiative includes studies with exercise therapy tests. Critics of the exercise trials say the tests could cause more harm to long COVID patients with post-exertional malaise, a worsening of symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive issues after exercise.
One organization, Long COVID Justice, launched a petition against the trials.
"We are, frankly, horrified," said JD Davids, co-founder of Long COVID Justice, about the "misguided trials."
#MEAction USA, an international advocacy group, sent multiple letters to NIH asking for the NIH's reasoning.
NIH told Nature that the exercise trial would use "inclusion and exclusion criteria to make sure that people who could be harmed by exercise will not be included in that platform trial."