As new data roll in about the after-effects of COVID, a picture of numerous, long-lasting symptoms and public health burden has emerged, spurring healthcare stakeholders to take new action in support of clinicians, patients and systems.
New evidence published Thursday in JAMA Network Open showed that nearly 15% of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 will experience a range of ongoing symptoms up to one year after their illness. Adults aged 40 years and older and women are most at risk, the researchers said. They encouraged a focus on stratifying patients by risk level and providing early intervention as a path toward preventing the syndrome altogether.
Others have predicted that healthcare demand will rise as patients look to find relief. Long COVID sparks a 4% increase in healthcare visits in the six months after a patient’s recovery from their initial infection, another study team reported.
In the meantime, the federal government has made long COVID a public health priority, and has just begun to turn its focus to treatments. The National Institutes of Health on Thursday said that Paxlovid will be the first drug to be investigated as a long COVID treatment, part of the agency’s $1 billion RECOVER program, Endpoints News reported.
In addition, federal health officials have published clinical care guidance. The Whole Health System Approach to Long COVID from the Veterans Administration is designed to help clinicians assess and manage long COVID symptoms and conditions, the VA stated.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ also has published clinical care recommendations, titled Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19.
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