Trump administration to shutter HHS’ long COVID office: report

A federal office dedicated to the research of long COVID is set to close following the Trump administration’s decision to slash the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) workforce.

Ian Simon, head of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice (OLC), made the announcement in an email on Monday, Politico reported.

“The Office of Long COVID Research and Practice will be closing as part of the administration’s reorganization coming this week,” the email read, according to Politico. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together, advancing understanding, resources, and support for people living with Long COVID.”

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS and Simon for more information, but they did not immediately respond.

TRUMP ADMIN LAYS OUT WHO EXACTLY WAS CUT AT HHS IN FACE OF ‘DEMOCRAT HYSTERIA’

Health care staff tend to a patient with COVID. (Lisa Maree Williams)

It is unclear when the OLC will close nor whether its staff will remain employed by the federal government.

The Biden-era office was established as a federal response to the widespread and long-term effects of COVID, which can result in chronic conditions that require comprehensive care.

ACADEMIC UNIONS PLAN DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE HHS BUILDING, AT MED SCHOOLS, TO PROTEST TRUMP RESEARCH CUTS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C. A long COVID research office is set to close as part of the HHS’ reorganization effort. (SAUL LOEB/AFP)

The decision to shutter the office comes after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during his confirmation hearing in January that he was committed to continuing funding and prioritizing long COVID research.

However, President Donald Trump directed HHS in a presidential action last month to “terminate the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A woman who has been struggling with long COVID for nearly a year is resting on her couch in Fairfax, Virginia, on Feb. 3, 2022. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said more than $1.5 billion was approved in the last several years for its Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, which studies the impact of long COVID. 

The NIH reported in 2023 that 23 million people were affected by the illness, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2023 that 6% of American adults suffered from long COVID, down from 7.5% in 2022.

“While our office is closing, we hope that the work we have been dedicated to will continue in some form,” the email read.