Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced an action plan to build on early research into the effects and needed response to long COVID, now estimated to affect up to 23 million Americans. The research agenda coordinates efforts of departments across the federal government; along with HHS, these include agencies within the Department of Veteran Affairs, Department of Labor, Department of Defense, and the Social Security Administration. Current data show that roughly one million people may be out of the workforce at any given time; research outside of government has shown a disproportionate impact on rural communities.
