Senator Kaine championing bill to fund long COVID research

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D) is championing the Care for Long COVID Act. It is designed to boost research and find long COVID treatments.

Kaine says that about half a million unemployment applications are backed up because of how many people are filing due to long COVID. It’s something he says he wants to mitigate in the long run.

“I’m dealing with a mild case of long COVID that has been consistent for three years, and I’ve sort of gotten used to the fact that I don’t think it’s ever going away,” Kaine said.

Kaine knows long COVID firsthand, among many others he says he’s fighting for.

“The real tragedy of long COVID is that millions and millions of people, somewhere between 10 and 15%, and most estimates of people who have COVID end up with long COVID, there are millions who are suffering very significant symptoms,” Kaine said.

Symptoms include migraines, brain fog, inability to concentrate, and fatigue.

“Over a quarter of those who are dealing with long COVID symptoms are so bad that it interferes with their ability to work. We think we may have millions of Americans, three to four million Americans out of the workforce, specifically because they’re dealing with long COVID. and this is at a time when every employer is telling me they want to hire enough workers,” Kaine said.

The bill is supported by Senators Markey and Duckworth in the Senate. Kaine is looking for Republican co-sponsors as well.

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