Long COVID research advocates criticized the Biden administration for “minimal funding” for Long COVID in its budget request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for fiscal year 2025.
“The Long COVID Campaign, in partnership with Long COVID Moonshot and Patient Led Research Collaborative, called on Congressional leaders to appropriate at least $1.2 billion in FY25 funding for Long COVID research, with other patient groups advocating for even higher funding levels to meet the scale of the need,” reads a Thursday press release.
“However, despite the growing impacts on the U.S. health care system, workforce, and economy, the Biden administration’s FY25 budget request for the NIH had minimal funding for the investigation, treatment, or care of the Long COVID,” the press release continues.
A study from August last year found that people infected with even mild cases of COVID-19 may be at increased risk of heart problems, blood clots, diabetes, neurological complications and other complications for up to two years.
“In its fiscal year 2025 budget request, the Biden administration did not ask Congress for the funding or support that the 1 in 20 Americans suffering from Long COVID desperately need,” said Meighan Stone, executive director of the Long COVID Campaign , in the press release.
“As Senate leaders debate $50 billion in NIH funding, we want to make sure that millions of Americans now with disabilities and chronic illnesses are still waiting for any Long COVID test, [Food and Drug Administration] approved treatments or urgency are not forgotten,” Stone continued.
According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report from September of last year, about 18 million adults reported dealing with long COVID in 2022.
The Hill reached out to the White House and the NIH.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
