The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is closing its “long COVID” office, according to an internal email.
The email, viewed by Politico, said the closing is due to the department’s reorganization.
“We are writing to let you know that the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice will be closing as part of the administration’s reorganization coming this week,” the email, sent by the office’s head, Ian Simon, read. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together advancing understanding, resources, and support for people living with Long COVID.”
An HHS staffer told Politico that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will continue to fund clinical trials relating to long COVID.
The reported termination of the office comes as President Donald Trump directed agencies in February to reduce the federal bureaucracy. Among other directives given in the order, Trump called HHS to “terminate the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID.”
“Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation,” the order said.
The Office of Long COVID Research was established in 2023, according to a Federal Register notice.
“The Office will be charged with the implementation of the National Research Action Plan on Long COVID, promotion of the Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19, and coordinating the whole-of-government response to the longer-term effects of COVID-19, including Long COVID and associated conditions,” the notice says. “Currently 14 federal departments engage on Long COVID, including over a dozen HHS Operating and Staff Divisions.”
