COVID-19 long-term study should help provide answers on side effects, treatment
SAN ANTONIO - A landmark new research project has been launched here that will study the long-term impact on people who have recovered from Covid-19.
Over the next few years, researchers from UT Health San Antonio, University Health and Laredo Health will study 900 South Texans who’ve had Covid to learn why some people have prolonged symptoms or develop new problems and others don’t.
“There’s just a whole lot we don’t know about long Covid,” says Dr. Thomas Patterson, UT Health San Antonio’s infectious disease specialist and principal investigator on this effort.
The four-year project is being funded by a $15 million grant from the National Institute of Health. It’s one of 17 nationally, and the only one in Texas.
“We’d really like to know why do people get it? What can we do to prevent it? And then what treatments might we eventually use to make those symptoms go away?” Patterson says.
Among the potential areas to be studied are fatigue, pain, brain fog, psychological disorders and the impact of vaccinations.
“I’m really interested in the long-term effects on people’s senses,” says David Levinson, who recently recovered from Covid.
He’s eager to see what the study reveals about the loss of taste and smell, and is willing to volunteer.
“If it would help them get information and get more understanding of the situation, I have no problem in participating,” he says.
The project will include a diverse group of adults, from across South Texas, with a variety of experiences with the virus.
“We will have a number of patients that are Hispanic, but we’ll also have a number of patients who are rural,” Dr. Patterson says.
The study is called PREVAIL, which stands for “Prevention, Evaluation and Incidence of Long-Term COVID in South Texas”
“It’s going to be a lot of work but we have a lot of Covid here,” Patterson says.
To volunteer for the study, call 210-567-5262 or go to: www.recover-tx.org
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