Patients, advocates come to Washington for Long Covid Awareness Day
Millions of people in the U.S. and around the world are dealing with long-lasting effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - On Friday, dozens of people went to our nation’s capital to demand more action be taken to address long Covid. Patients, advocates, and activists demonstrated in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the first Long Covid Awareness Day.
“When you become a nurse, you swear to a code of ethics. This code is why I’m standing here today,” said Dara York who organized the rally.
York is a nurse and mother of three from California who is battling long Covid. She and others called on Congress and President Biden to provide more resources for prevention, research and treatment.
“You must take action now,” she shouted.
A report published by Brookings Metro in 2022 said around 16 million working-age Americans have long Covid.
“My life has been destroyed by Covid,” said 43-year-old Kate Whitley.
Whitley is a small business owner and mother from Nashville who has been living with long Covid for nearly two years. She said she has been in and out of the emergency room and takes dozens of pills a day to combat her symptoms.
“There’s no cure. There’s no treatment. Covid is thriving in my bone marrow and there’s no help for me,” Whitley said.
Dr. Angelique Corthals, who specializes in pathology, said the vaccine has been effective from preventing severe disease but not transmission. Dr. Corthals believes the lack of proper treatment is a “crisis in the making.”
“People have been calling this the pandemic in the pandemic. And I absolutely believe this is gonna be happening within the next five to 10 years,” said Corthals.
This week, The National Institute of Health began phase 2 of clinical trials for treatments for adults living with long Covid.
House Democrats introduced a bill to address Long Covid more than a year ago but it has not moved in the Republican-led chamber.
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