[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]
[[Page 20993]]
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
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 68 / Friday, April 8, 2022 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
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
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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