The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held its first congressional hearing on Long COVID amidst the second largest wave of infections in the US. A model using wastewater data showed an estimated 100 million Americans have been infected since mid-October. The hearing addressed issues related to Long COVID, a condition that can affect one in 10 people, with rates increasing with each reinfection.

Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a physician-scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and a leading expert on Long COVID, testified during the hearing. He stated, “The best way to prevent Long COVID is to prevent COVID in the first place. This requires a multilayers/multipronged approach. His recommendations included developing solutions to prevent repeated infections with SARS-CoV-2 and increasing development of oral and intranasal vaccines that induce strong mucosal immunity. He also suggested improving ventilation and air filtration systems.

Two Long COVID patients, Angela Meriques Vazquez and Rachel Beale, provided testimony about their personal experiences and the challenges they faced in getting appropriate care. They highlighted issues such as long waits for specialists, lack of Long COVID clinics, insufficient funding for research on Long COVID, and negative attitudes from health professionals.

Dr. Tiffany Walker, an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, compared Long COVID to diabetes in terms of prevalence, but noted the significant difference in healthcare and research funding between the two conditions. She emphasized the economic impact, noting that many long-haulers are unable to work or work reduced hours due to their condition.

In his testimony, Dr. Al-Aly called for increased research efforts in Long COVID, suggesting creating an Institute for Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses headed by the National Institutes of Health, with a budget of at least $1 billion per year. He stressed that understanding how infections cause chronic illnesses should be a crucial part of pandemic preparedness and resilience.