University of Arizona researchers awarded $7.3M to study long COVID

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is one of five national sites that’s been selected to study post COVID-19 conditions to better help people who have what’s commonly referred to as long COVID.

Researchers received $7.3 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to participate in “Tracking the Burden, Distribution, Impact of Post COVID-19 Conditions in Diverse Populations for Children, Adolescents, Adults.”

The long-term health impacts of a SARS-CoV-2 infection are referred to as long COVID, or long-haul COVID, post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, and post-COVID-19 conditions, or PCC. PCC includes a wide range of health consequences that persist, or begin, more than four weeks following the initial infection.

There are three investigators who will lead Arizona Track PCC including Jennifer Andrews, an associate professor in the UA’s College of Medicine and its department of pediatrics.

“Arizona was hit hard by the pandemic with the second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents compared with other states,” said Andrews, who will be working with Kristen Pogreba-Brown, an associate professor and epidemiologist in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, and Susan Robinson of the state’s Department of Health Services.

“Our involvement in this program ensures that the diverse rural and cultural populations unique to our state are represented in the data. Our additional focus on the inclusion of individuals with special health-care needs pays special attention to the differing needs of that unique population.”

Arizona Track PCC will follow at least 1,000 individuals over two years to track the progression of post-COVID-19 conditions over time. Data will be collected and analyzed in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Health Services and other health-care partners.

The UA will “explore potential solutions to improving the health and well-being of people affected by long COVID, not only in Arizona, but nationally and around the world,” said Robert C. Robbins, president of the UA.

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The study will include examining the long-term effects of post-COVID-19 conditions in all age groups and in underserved communities or population groups that experience disparities, including Hispanics, Native Americans, children and people with special health needs.

The other sites that are involved with the CDC’s Track PCC initiative include Temple University, the University of Indiana and Comagine Health.

Arizona’s researchers will estimate the number of people experiencing post-COVID-19 complications in the state through health-care records and administrative databases.

Project participants will work closely with CoVHORT, a study already underway through the UA that was established early in the pandemic to track the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 in Arizona. There are roughly 8,500 participants so far, helping researchers learn about trends in post-COVID-19 conditions, and to monitor health outcomes, recommend prevention and care strategies, and inform the community of problems resulting from exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

In the ongoing CoVHORT study, participants who experienced milder cases of COVID-19 commonly experienced symptoms that included fatigue, headache, body aches, loss of taste or smell, and cough. Most cases resolved after several weeks; however, approximately 20% of participants went on to develop severe disease.

CoVHORT also found that 68.7% of participants noted continuing symptoms 60 days post-infection, though researchers found it challenging to distinguish the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection from known pre-existing health conditions, previously undetected chronic conditions, and the indirect effects of the pandemic such as fatigue and anxiety.