Nearly two years after testing positive for the coronavirus, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he was still experiencing mild symptoms of long-term Covid.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr. Kane, a Democrat, described feeling as if five cups of coffee jolted his nerves.
While little is known about the exact cause of lingering Covid, it is estimated to affect millions of people even months after infection. Its symptoms, including confusion and fatigue, can vary greatly in severity.
The new bill, introduced on Wednesday by Mr. Kane and Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, targets the unknowns revolving around the long Covid. He calls for more and faster research on the phenomenon, better communication about it, and better patient connectivity to services.
Across the United States, states are easing pandemic-related restrictions such as mandatory masks and vaccination requirements for individual employees. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Biden outlined the country’s progress over the past year in combating the spread of the virus. As a result, he says, “Covid-19 no longer needs to control our lives.”
On Wednesday, the White House released a multilateral coronavirus response strategy that commits to step up efforts to “detect, prevent and treat long-term Covid.” The 96-page plan details several proposals, including the development of a multi-agency research plan to study the disease and the establishment of “centers of excellence” for patient care. These plans depend on Congressional funding.
However, millions of Americans will continue to suffer from COVID-19, Mr Markey said in a press release.
“Long-term Covid can be serious and devastating, from neurological and respiratory symptoms to mental health impacts,” he said, adding that the long-term effects of the infection should be dealt with as “aggressively” as the infection itself.