Advocates, physicians, and lawmakers underscored the urgent need for paid sick leave and access to care for long COVID patients, as well as the importance of believing patients, during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.
Data gathered by the Census Bureau in early June estimated that nearly one in five American adults who had COVID-19 experienced symptoms of long COVID, noted James Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the subcommittee.
According to CDC data, approximately 7.5% of Americans had long COVID for at least 3 months. Women are more likely than men to experience long COVID, as are Black and Hispanic adults compared with white adults.
“It is crucial that we improve our understanding of [the impact of] long COVID on these communities, so that all Americans receive equitable care, fair access to resources, and the best health outcomes possible,” Clyburn said.
Patients Need Rest, Reassurance
At two long COVID recovery clinics in San Antonio, which have seen increasing numbers of patients since August 2020, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, chair of the department of rehabilitation medicine at the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio in Texas, said she has treated marathon runners who can no longer run, healthcare providers who can’t return to work, and people who can’t stand for 2 minutes without their heart rate “going up the roof.”
Hannah Davis, co-founder of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, a long COVID advocacy group, said that she contracted COVID-19 in March 2020, and “2 years later, I still have cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, nerve damage, clotting markers, immune system dysfunction, dysautonomia … and ME-CFS [myalgic encephalomyelitis], a disabling complex neuro-immune condition.”
Driving, reading, and even walking are still a challenge, she added.
“Not being able to rest increases the risk and severity of long COVID, which means people without appropriate work accommodations and those who must continue household or caretaking labor are at increased risk,” she said.
In addition, those without documentation of SARS-CoV-2 from a positive test may not be able to prove their need for rest or may not recognize that they need it, Davis noted.
Tests are often required in order to be eligible for care in long COVID clinics and to participate in research, but PCR tests can produce false-negative rates, especially i