As part of a coordinated strategy to characterize the long-term effects of COVID-19, hundreds of researchers are working together to collect data and share insights that will guide future research and treatment strategies. The NIH Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative provided a parent award to New York University (NYU) Langone Health, which will provide supporting research grants to more than 30 institutions.
The network of medical researchers will collect data from patients as they are diagnosed with COVID-19 and among those who experience lingering symptoms. The most common to date include headaches, pain, fatigue, “brain fog,” shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, fever, chronic cough, and sleep problems. People of all ages – including children, adults, and pregnant women – will help researchers collect this information and at different points of illness. Researchers will analyze blood and tissue samples, medical records, and data from wearable technology, all of which will help scientists pinpoint how the coronavirus may impact patients at different periods and within different organs and systems. The data from prior studies and ongoing research will be harmonized to support this meta-cohort.
“This scientifically rigorous approach puts into place a collaborative and multidisciplinary research community inclusive of diverse research participants that are critical to informing the treatment and prevention of the long-term effects of COVID-19,”said Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., director of the NHLBI and co-chair of the RECOVER initiative.