Thread on NIH plans for people with lingering #COVID19 symptoms: NIH will screen 1,000 patients with ongoing problems after coronavirus infection. 1/

Patients will then be referred to specialists at NIH - people with GI problems will go there, people with neuro problems will be evaluated by neurologists. 2/

Those who qualify for existing diagnoses, such as myalgic encpehalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, will be diagnosed. 3/

Patients will be followed-up with every 3 months. Then the NIH investigators will get together and determine if there is indeed a new post-covid illness, or if the problems can be explained by existing diagnoses. 4/

Brian Walitt of NIH: "At the end of all this, we will have a lot of data & if it looks like there is unique illness that is peeking out or emerging, we will be set up have a conference to create consensus criteria for a new entity if it's warranted." 5/

So to summarize: NIH will follow 1,000 so-called #LongCovid patients & determine if their ailments fit existing categories of illness or if a new diagnosis is needed. 6/

If I were healthy, I'd write an article, but instead you get this thread. This info is from NIH meeting on Aug. 11. regarding a new Interagency Working Group for ME/CFS. https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=38201 

@edyong209 @fi_lowenstein @ahandvanish may be interested in this thread.