From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Long COVID - Director Summary

Description: Karen Howard discusses our March 2022 report on what is and
isn't known about long COVID - new, returning, or ongoing health
problems four or more weeks after an initial case of COVID-19. The
federal government is taking steps to fund more research and help
affected people. We describe challenges it could encounter and provide
questions for policymakers to consider.

Related GAO Works: GAO-22-105666.  Science & Tech Spotlight: Long COVID. 

Released: March 2022

[ GAO's Karen Howard, Director, Science, Technology Assessment, and
Analytics, speaking to the camera ] 

[ Karen Howard : ] Do you know anyone who has long COVID? That's when
someone has new, returning, or ongoing health problems four or more
weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection. It's likely that you do know
someone. Studies estimate that up to 23 million Americans have developed
long COVID. That's one out of every 14 people.

The symptoms of long COVID vary from person to person, but could include
fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, muscle or joint
pain, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms. These symptoms can be
debilitating for many and have already pushed an estimated one million
people to drop out of the workforce.

What causes long COVID? Researchers have identified several possible
causes, but they aren't yet well understood. As a result, it can be
difficult to diagnose and treat the condition, which creates additional
difficulties for those who have it.

The federal government is taking steps to fund more research and help
those affected. In our report, we describe challenges to these efforts
and provide questions policymakers could consider.

To learn more, please visit GAO.gov.

[ End ]

For more info, check out our report GAO-22-104299 at: GAO.gov