Washington, D.C. — This week, the Biden administration announced that it is launching a whole-of-government effort to prevent, detect, and treat long COVID. Following the announcement, Mia Ives-Rublee, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
An estimated 1.2 million Americans acquired a disability last year—many likely due to long COVID. Yet long COVID remains little understood, and many people with long COVID report that their doctors, employers, and society at large aren’t giving them the support they need to manage their condition.
By adopting a whole-of-government approach to addressing long COVID, the Biden administration is taking actionable steps to change this. Importantly, the administration will improve and increase the number of centers that treat long COVID patients, while also better educating providers on the impact of long COVID. I am looking forward to seeing the administration’s public report this summer, which will discuss how agencies across government will contribute to supporting long COVID patients. Over the decades, the disability community has worked tirelessly to ensure that disabled Americans have the access and support we need to thrive. As our community grows due to long COVID, we are looking forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration to ensure that disabled Americans—both those with long COVID and others—have a voice in setting COVID-19 policy.
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