Long COVID research advocates hammer Biden over 'minimal funding' in budget request

Long COVID research advocates slammed the Biden administration over “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, has 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 levels of funding to meet the scale of need,” a Thursday press release reads.

“Yet despite increasing impacts to the U.S. healthcare system, workforce and economy, the Biden Administration’s FY25 budget request for the NIH had minimal funding for Long COVID research, treatment or care,” the press release continues. 

A study from August of last year found that those infected with even mild cases of COVID-19 could stay at a higher risk for heart problems, blood clots, diabetes, neurologic complications and other complications for as long as two years.

“In its FY2025 budget request, the Biden Administration failed to ask Congress for the funding or support the 1 in 20 Americans suffering from Long COVID desperately need,” Meighan Stone, executive director of the Long COVID Campaign, said in the press release.

“As Senate leaders debate $50 billion in NIH funding, we want to make sure the millions of now-disabled and chronically ill Americans still waiting for any Long COVID tests, [Food and Drug Administration] approved treatments or urgency aren’t forgotten,” Stone continued.

According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report from September of last year, around 18 million adults reported dealing with long COVID as of 2022. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House and NIH.