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AAPM&R is Calling for a Comprehensive National Plan to Address the Needs of Millions Suffering from Long COVID

According to two publications from the Journal of the American Medical Association, ten to thirty percent of individuals who had COVID-19 reported at least one persistent symptom up to six months after the virus left their bodies. That means 3 to 10 million Americans are experiencing symptoms of Long COVID or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), which are varied and ongoing, including neurological challenges, cognitive problems such as brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, pain, and mobility issues.

In 2021, AAPM&R called on President Joe Biden and Congress to gear up for the next coronavirus crisis by preparing and implementing a comprehensive national plan focused on meeting the needs of millions of individuals suffering from the long-term symptoms of COVID-19, and help them regain quality of life and return to being active members of their communities. The plan must include a commitment to three major components:

  • Resources to build necessary infrastructure to meet this crisis
  • Equitable access to care for patients
  • Research to advance medical understanding of Long COVID

PM&R physicians are uniquely qualified to help guide the multidisciplinary effort needed to develop a plan for this crisis. As a specialty, physiatrists are investigators, team leaders and problem solvers. PM&R physicians see the whole patient AND the whole picture of the rehabilitation ecosystem. Physiatrists are exactly what this crisis needs. Learn more about our Multidisciplinary PASC Collaborative, launched in March 2021, which is working on quality improvement initiatives.

AAPM&R Advocacy, Healthcare Collaborations and Partnerships, and Customized Resources to Support PM&R During This Crisis

AAPM&R is working to ensure PM&R is part of the national conversation about healthcare amidst COVID-19 and advocating for the federal support, legislation, regulation relief and resources that physiatrists need now. One way we are doing this is through our partnerships and collaborations with other specialty societies. The Academy continuously works to represent PM&R through these collaborations, and it is through these partnerships that we are able to discuss and share a variety of resources with you that you critically need.

Stay Up-to-Date

AAPM&R Long COVID Dashboard Released

Aug 24, 2021

Today we released the first dashboard that shows how many millions of Americans are estimated to be experiencing Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC or Long COVID) symptoms by state, county and nationally.

Our dashboard is based on data from Johns Hopkins University CSSE COVID-19 data and the U.S. census, and includes state and county level statistics and trends over time for Long COVID. The dashboard has options for estimating the number of Long COVID cases based on different assumptions and percentages.

“Our dashboard is an important tool to help estimate and assess the growing population of people with Long COVID and help hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals across the country prepare and plan for their care,” said Steven Flanagan, MD, FAAPMR, Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU-Langone Health and Vice President of AAPM&R.

Back in March, we called for a national plan to address the needs of millions of individuals who are suffering from the long-term symptoms of COVID-19, and are continuing to advocate for this plan.

“We need to better understand how many people have Long COVID and where those populations are located to ensure we have the appropriate resources and infrastructure to support them. Our call for a national plan emphasizes the need for research to advance the medical understanding of Long COVID, equitable access to care for patients and resources to build necessary infrastructure. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that we, as a country, help Long COVID patients reach their highest levels of recovery, and this dashboard demonstrates the urgent need for a plan,” said Dr. Flanagan.

According to two publications from the Journal of the American Medical Association, 10-30% of individuals who had COVID-19 reported at least one persistent symptom up to six months after the virus left their bodies. That means an estimated three to ten million Americans are experiencing symptoms of Long COVID, which are varied and ongoing, including neurological challenges, cognitive problems such as brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, pain and mobility issues.

In March, we launched a multi-disciplinary PASC collaborative of experts to develop clinical guidance to improve quality-of-care as well as formal education and resources to improve experience-of-care and health equity. This collaborative recently published the first Long COVID guidance statement on fatigue, which is a peer-reviewed guidance statement intended to help physicians make clinical decisions concerning treatment of Long COVID.

To learn more about this fatigue guidance statement, join us for our webinar on September 1 from 7-8 pm (CT) where you'll hear from our faculty experts who will be discussing the guidance in more detail. Learn more and register. Additional guidance statements, including cognitive impairment, breathing discomfort, cardiac and autonomic issues, neuropsychology and pediatrics will be published on a rolling basis. Learn more.