Innovation will provide solutions to Long COVID — the new chronic disease of our time

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Long COVID is a serious, growing public health crisis. Though estimates vary, as many as 18 million Americans may be affected. This is why it continues to capture the attention of Senator Todd Young, who asked Secretary Kennedy to prioritize Long Covid research in his confirmation hearing last year. This week, the Senator had the opportunity to follow up with the Secretary at this year’s budget hearing, who reported on the Department’s efforts to identify biomarkers and committed to continuing the effort. This is welcome news. For most of us, the COVID-19 pandemic is a distant, though searing memory. However, too many Americans are still experiencing the pandemic as a daily reality, suffering from what is now known as Long COVID. In 2026, three years after the end of the Public Health Emergency, Long COVID patients report a wide variety of symptoms, which include significant cognitive dysfunction, extreme fatigue, post exertional exhaustion, autonomic dysfunction, cardiovascular conditions, blood vessel pathology, air hunger, intravascular micro-coagulation, tinnitus, and other neurological symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no molecular diagnostic test, no detailed elucidation of the pathogenesis of the disease, and no definitive therapy. I devoted my medical