Loading ...NIH Documents Show $1.6 Billion Long COVID Initiative So Far Falls Short Of Goals
It’s been more than three years since Congress directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the long-term effects of COVID-19—and there are still no answers for the millions of Americans suffering from long COVID.
But according to documents obtained by The Sick Times, MuckRock, and STAT through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the goals outlined in contracts between the NIH and the institutions tasked with leading the research have not been met despite passing the deadline, and nearly all of the initial funding has already been allocated.
The NIH did not choose scientists with established expertise treating COVID-19 or independent physicians currently seeing long COVID patients in the clinical setting. The agency largely chose personnel in the research field who have been or are presently funded by other NIH grants and specialize in data collection and information systems.
An initial goal of RECOVER was to better define long COVID and the risk of developing the condition after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. This goal has not been met.
Yet another government boondoggle to pretend that something is being done about a serious problem while ignoring the “most likely reason” for the problem as it does NOT fit the approved narrative. Just another $1.6B spent lining the pockets of a scientific community already well paid by NIH.