President Joe Biden on Tuesday tasked the U.S. health department
with developing a national action plan to tackle the looming health
crisis of long COVID, a complex, multi-symptom condition that
leaves many of its sufferers unable to work, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Long COVID, which arises months after a COVID-19 infection,
affects nearly 7% of all U.S. adults and 2.3% of the overall
population and has cost an estimated $386 billion in lost wages,
savings and medical bills, according to an analysis by the Solve
Long Covid Initiative, a non-profit research and advocacy
group.
More than 200 symptoms - many lasting for months - have been
associated with the condition, including pain, fatigue, brain fog,
breathing difficulty and exhaustion after minimal amounts of
physical activity.
"Long COVID is real, and there is still so much we don't know
about it," Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra,
who will lead the government response, said on Tuesday.
"Americans of every age and background are experiencing long
COVID," he added at a press briefing. "To be clear, we are going to
use every tool we have to be there for these Americans."
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