ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - During a recent Senate hearing on the effects of long COVID, a local epidemiologist had a rather shocking warning for lawmakers.
Clinical epidemiologist Dr. Ziyad Al Aly at Washington University School of Medicine told senators last week with 20 million Americans suffering from long COVID, the illness is on par with the burden of cancer and heart disease.
"When you measure the burden between disability and disease that comes with long COVID and you put it next to other diseases we have known about for centuries like heart disease and cancer, it's on par," said Al Aly to KMOX. "It's actually very similar to the burden of cancer and heart disease."
That's why Dr. Al Aly told Senators it is critical for the American medical community to prioritize and dedicate resources for finding a treatment for long Covid as fast as possible.