118 SRES 590 IS: Designating March 15, 2024, as “Long COVID Awareness Day”. U.S. Senate 2024-03-14 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

III118th CONGRESS2d SessionS. RES. 590IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESMarch 14, 2024Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Markey, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Smith, Mr. Casey, and Ms. Baldwin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryRESOLUTIONDesignating March 15, 2024, as Long COVID Awareness Day.

Whereas Long COVID is a systemic and often debilitating and disabling long-term outcome of an acute COVID–19 infection;Whereas Long COVID has the potential to worsen pre-existing health conditions and can cause death months to years after an acute COVID–19 infection;Whereas there are more than 200 documented Long COVID symptoms, which can vary from person to person and can include fatigue, cognitive impairment, muscle or joint pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sleep difficulties, mood changes, and damage to organ systems and tissue;Whereas Long COVID can trigger other infection-associated chronic conditions such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other forms of dysautonomia, mast cell activation syndrome, fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and many others;Whereas there is no single diagnostic test or protocol to confirm a Long COVID diagnosis;Whereas many providers are unprepared to identify, diagnose, or treat Long COVID due to a lack of education and information, and some providers refrain from making a Long COVID diagnosis at all;Whereas, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 22,000,000 adults and 1,000,000 children currently living with Long COVID in the United States, and there are likely more;Whereas Long COVID disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those with lower incomes;Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice have issued guidance clarifying that Long COVID can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.);Whereas Long COVID has had a devastating financial impact on individuals and on the overall economy with an estimated economic cost of $3,700,000,000,000 due to reduced quality of life, lost earnings, and direct medical care spending for those who suffer from Long COVID;Whereas people with Long COVID are 10 percent less likely to be employed and those who are employed work 50 percent fewer hours than people without Long COVID;Whereas there may be as many as 4,000,000 fewer workers in the United States workforce due to the impact of the disease;Whereas there are no approved cures for Long COVID, and most of the treatments involve addressing individual symptoms using established therapies; andWhereas investing in Long COVID research and promoting the development of treatment and diagnostic tools remain priorities to improve the quality of life for those impacted by Long COVID: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate—(1)designates March 15, 2024, as Long COVID Awareness Day;(2)recognizes patients and their families and caregivers who are affected by Long COVID;(3)commends the work of doctors and researchers who continue to advance the study of Long COVID; and(4)encourages relevant Federal agencies—(A)to expand research efforts to develop effective treatments, diagnostics, and cures; (B)to publish information on Long COVID to educate the public and providers about the impact of the condition; and(C)to make every effort to ensure that patients and their families and caregivers receive adequate support and care.