At a budget hearing, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr told Senator Todd Young the department is working to identify biomarkers as up to 18 million Americans may be affected.
Young, who pressed Kennedy on the issue at his confirmation hearing last year, said the update was welcome but argued federal investment remains inadequate and should accelerate treatment development.
The report says Long Covid still causes wide-ranging symptoms and hundreds of billions of dollars in annual productivity and medical costs, despite some previously cut research programmes later being partly restored.
With long-term costs escalating, can AI drug discovery outpace the growing Long COVID crisis?
Millions suffer from Long COVID, but with no reliable test, how is a definitive diagnosis even possible?
Is Long COVID an inflammatory disease, or is science pointing to a completely different biological cause?
HHS's 2026 Long COVID Response: Budget Cuts, Staff Losses, and Delayed Treatments Undermine Progress
Overview
In 2026, HHS under Secretary Kennedy announced new Long COVID initiatives like a dedicated website and clinician locator, but these efforts are overshadowed by deep budget cuts, agency restructuring, and the firing of key public health and NIH officials. These actions have delayed critical RECOVER clinical trials and slowed progress toward FDA-approved diagnostics and treatments. Scientific advances revealed immune system imbalances in Long COVID, guiding upcoming trials of therapies such as stellate ganglion block and semaglutide, yet results are not expected until 2027. Meanwhile, social and economic factors worsen patient outcomes, and limited resources threaten equitable care access. Patient advocates demand faster research, stable funding, and genuine involvement to overcome these systemic challenges.