[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20995-20998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07756]



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Vol. 87

Friday,

No. 68

April 8, 2022

Part III





The President





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Memorandum of April 5, 2022--Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-
19



Executive Order 14071--Prohibiting New Investment in and Certain 
Services to the Russian Federation in Response to Continued Russian 
Federation Aggression
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 68 / Friday, April 8, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Memorandum of April 5, 2022

                
Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. My Administration has made combating 
                the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and 
                guiding the Nation through the worst public health 
                crisis in more than a century, our top priority. When I 
                came into office, COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on our 
                country--closing our businesses, keeping our kids out 
                of school, and forcing us into isolation. Today, 
                America has the tools to protect against COVID-19 and 
                to dramatically decrease its risks. We move towards a 
                future in which COVID-19 does not disrupt our daily 
                lives and is something we prevent, protect against, and 
                treat.

                As we chart the path forward, we remember the more than 
                950,000 people in the United States lost to COVID-19. 
                They were beloved parents, grandparents, children, 
                siblings, spouses, neighbors, and friends. More than 
                200,000 children in the United States have lost a 
                parent or caregiver to the disease. Each soul is 
                irreplaceable, and the families and communities left 
                behind are still reeling from profound loss. Many 
                families and communities have already received support 
                from Federal programs that help with the loss they have 
                experienced. As we move forward, we commit to ensuring 
                that families and communities can access these support 
                programs and connect to resources they may need to help 
                with their healing, health, and well-being.

                At the same time, many of our family members, 
                neighbors, and friends continue to experience negative 
                long-term effects of COVID-19. Many individuals report 
                debilitating, long-lasting effects of having been 
                infected with COVID-19, often called ``long COVID.'' 
                These symptoms can happen to anyone who has had COVID-
                19--including individuals across ages, races, genders, 
                and ethnicities; individuals with or without 
                disabilities; individuals with or without underlying 
                health conditions; and individuals whether or not they 
                had initial symptoms. Individuals experiencing long 
                COVID report experiencing new or recurrent symptoms, 
                which can include anxiety and depression, fatigue, 
                shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, heart 
                palpitations, disordered sleep, chest and joint pain, 
                headaches, and other symptoms. These symptoms can 
                persist long after the acute COVID-19 infection has 
                resolved. Even young people and otherwise healthy 
                people have reported long COVID symptoms that last for 
                many months. These symptoms may be affecting 
                individuals' ability to work, conduct daily activities, 
                engage in educational activities, and participate in 
                their communities. Our world-class research and public 
                health organizations have begun the difficult work of 
                understanding these new conditions, their causes, and 
                potential prevention and treatment options. Our health 
                care and support programs are working to help meet the 
                needs of individuals experiencing the lasting effects 
                of COVID-19. To organize the Federal Government's 
                response, executive departments and agencies (agencies) 
                must work together to use the expertise, resources, and 
                benefit programs of the Federal Government to ensure 
                that we are accelerating scientific progress and 
                providing individuals with the support and services 
                they need.

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                In addition, the American public is grappling with a 
                mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic. Too 
                many have felt the effects of social isolation, 
                sickness, economic insecurity, increased caregiver 
                burdens, and grief. My Administration has made 
                significant investments in mental health as well as 
                substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and 
                recovery support for the American public, including by 
                expanding access to community-based behavioral health 
                services. We are committed to advancing these 
                behavioral health efforts in order to better identify 
                the effects of the pandemic on mental health, substance 
                use, and well-being, and to take steps to address these 
                effects for the people we serve.

                Our Nation can continue to protect the public--and 
                spare countless families from the deepest pain 
                imaginable--if everybody does their part. Today, we 
                have numerous tools to protect ourselves and our loved 
                ones from COVID-19--from vaccines to tests, treatments, 
                masks, and more. My Administration recognizes the toll 
                of this pandemic on the American public and commits to 
                redoubling our efforts to support the American people 
                in addressing the long-term effects of COVID-19 on 
                their lives and on society.

                Sec. 2. Organizing the Government-Wide Response to the 
                Long-Term Effects of COVID-19. (a) The Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services (Secretary) shall coordinate 
                the Government-wide response to the long-term effects 
                of COVID-19. My Administration will harness the full 
                potential of the Federal Government, in coordination 
                with public- and private-sector partners, to mount a 
                full and effective response. The Secretary shall report 
                on the coordination efforts to the Coordinator of the 
                COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President and to 
                the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.

                    (b) The heads of agencies shall assist and provide 
                information to the Secretary, consistent with 
                applicable law, as may be necessary to carry out the 
                Secretary's duties described in subsection (a) of this 
                section.
                    (c) In performing the duties described in 
                subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall 
                seek information from relevant nongovernmental experts, 
                organizations, and stakeholders, including individuals 
                affected directly by the long-term effects of COVID-19. 
                The Secretary shall consider using all available legal 
                authorities, as appropriate and consistent with 
                applicable law, to assist in gathering relevant 
                information, including a waiver under 42 U.S.C. 
                247d(f).

                Sec. 3. Report on the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19. 
                The Secretary, supported within the Department of 
                Health and Human Services by the Assistant Secretary 
                for Health and the Assistant Secretary for Mental 
                Health and Substance Use, shall publish a public report 
                within 120 days of the date of this memorandum 
                outlining services and mechanisms of support across 
                agencies to assist the American public in the face of 
                the far-reaching and long-term effects of COVID-19. The 
                report shall outline Federal Government services to 
                support individuals experiencing long COVID, 
                individuals and families experiencing a loss due to 
                COVID-19, and all those grappling with mental health 
                and substance use issues in the wake of this pandemic. 
                The report shall also specifically address the long-
                term effects of COVID-19 on underserved communities and 
                efforts to address disparities in availability and 
                adoption of services and support for such communities.

                Sec. 4. National Research Action Plan on Long COVID. 
                (a) Coordinated efforts across the public and private 
                sectors are needed to advance progress in prevention, 
                diagnosis, treatment, and provision of services for 
                individuals experiencing long COVID. The Secretary, 
                supported by the Assistant Secretary for Health and in 
                collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, the 
                Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Energy, and the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall coordinate a 
                Government-wide effort to develop the first-ever 
                interagency national research agenda on long COVID, to 
                be reflected in a National Research Action Plan. The 
                National Research Action Plan will build on ongoing 
                efforts across the Federal Government, including the 
                landmark RECOVER Initiative implemented by the National 
                Institutes of Health. The

[[Page 20997]]

                Secretary shall release the jointly developed National 
                Research Action Plan within 120 days of the date of 
                this memorandum.

                    (b) The National Research Action Plan shall build 
                upon existing research efforts and include strategies 
                to:

(i) help measure and characterize long COVID in both children and adults, 
including with respect to its frequency, severity, duration, risk factors, 
and trends over time;

(ii) support the development of estimates on prevalence and incidence of 
long COVID disaggregated by demographic groups and symptoms;

(iii) better understand the epidemiology, course of illness, risk factors, 
and vaccine effectiveness in prevention of long COVID;

(iv) advance our understanding of the health and socioeconomic burdens on 
individuals affected by long COVID, including among different race and 
ethnicity groups, pregnant people, and those with underlying disabilities;

(v) foster development of new treatments and care models for long COVID 
based on a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the 
SARS-CoV-2 virus;

(vi) inform decisions related to high-quality support, services, and 
interventions for long COVID;

(vii) improve data-sharing between agencies and academic and industry 
researchers about long COVID, to the extent permitted by law; and

(viii) specifically account for the pandemic's effect on underserved 
communities and rural populations.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this 
                memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise 
                affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent 
                with applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does 
                not, create any right or benefit, substantive or 
                procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any 
                party against the United States, its departments, 
                agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
                agents, or any other person.

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                    (d) The Secretary is authorized and directed to 
                publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, April 5, 2022

[FR Doc. 2022-07756
Filed 4-7-22; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4150-42-P