Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support studies on the treatment of long-covid.

The Government has provided nearly £30 million of funding, through the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research Innovation, towards ambitious and comprehensive ‘long’ COVID-19 research projects. This includes £8.4 million invested into the 10,000 participant Post-HOSPitalisation COVID-19 study at the University of Leicester. This study is one of the world’s largest comprehensive research studies of previously hospitalised patients. On 18 February, we announced £18.5 million would be given to four more research studies focusing on non-hospitalised patients. The studies will examine the causes, consequences and treatment of ‘long’ COVID-19.