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Long Covid: Activists Disappointed in Two New Reports from Biden Administration

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The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services released two new reports about long Covid on Wednesday, sparking a critical response from activist organizations. 

KRISTIN URQUIZA; for interviews, contact Christine Keeves at christine@markedbycovid.com or Sam Harazin at sam.harazin@firesidecampaigns.com     
    Urquiza is a co-founder of Marked By Covid, an activist group that advocates for the needs of those most harmed by the pandemic.

Urquiza told the Institute for Public Accuracy today: “Again and again, bereaved community members have told us––and the White House––that we need a national reckoning of our losses before we can begin healing from this tragedy. Wednesday’s 125-page report, which included just three pages on support services for the bereaved––a laundry list of pre-existing federal programs buried at the very end of the report––filled us with an abundance of sadness, rage, and determination.”

The National Research Action Plan on Long Covid introduces the first U.S. government-wide national research agenda focused on advancing prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and provision of services and supports for individuals and families experiencing long Covid. The Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of Covid-19 Report, meanwhile, outlines federal services available to address longer-term effects of Covid––including: services available for people experiencing long Covid; resources for health care providers treating patients with long Covid; support for health care providers experiencing stress and trauma; and services for individuals related to mental health, substance use, and bereavement challenges. 

But activists are left wanting. Urquiza wrote in a statement released Wednesday: “We’re disappointed to see that these reports include no interviews with bereaved communities aiming to understand their needs and no new resources available to them. The reports simply outline a list of general,  pre-existing resources. Two years into a catastrophic global pandemic that has devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions, it’s discouraging that there aren’t any new resources specific to pandemic-bereaved folks.” 

Marked by Covid has five demands for the administration: establish a community expert advisory committee for bereaved communities; create a Covid Memorial Day to recognize the scale of pandemic loss; establish permanent memorials; control the spread; and establish a Covid commission to examine the failure of our national response to the pandemic.