Indiana researchers awarded millions to study long COVID

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) –  Health authorities are optimistic the pandemic is winding down. With vaccines and treatments available, scientists are now able to shift their focus to a new research area: long COVID. 

Long COVID is characterized as when a patient has been infected with the virus, clears it, but continues to suffer from complications like fatigue, brain fog and lung problems. The condition has been puzzling scientists for years. But thanks to a 9 million dollar award from the CDC, scientists at the Regenstrief Institute are hoping to change that. 

“We’ll be looking across the entire state using our electronic medical records and other surveillance systems that we have here in Indiana,” said Dr. Brian Dixon, director of public health informatics at the Regenstrief Institute, told News 8. “And we’ll really be triangulating at the population level what subset has gotten COVID, what subset will develop long COVID and what are some factors about those people.”

In addition to Indiana, Dixon says their surveillance system will be tied to other states so they can also study long COVID at the national level.