San Mateo County partners with UCSF to study long COVID impacts in diverse communities

The City of San Francisco held a government meeting on July 4, 2025, focusing on public health initiatives, particularly regarding long COVID. The meeting highlighted collaborative efforts between local health authorities, including UCSF and the San Mateo County Health Department, to address the ongoing challenges posed by long COVID.

The discussion began with an overview of a significant project aimed at understanding the prevalence and impact of long COVID within the community. Researchers will conduct outreach to residents of San Francisco and San Mateo County who contracted COVID-19 at least three months prior. This initiative, titled "Let's Figure Out COVID, Tell Us Your Story, Bay Area," seeks to gather data on the experiences of individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on communities that have faced higher rates of infection and hospitalization, such as Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, and Native American populations.

The first phase of the project will involve phone interviews to assess how common long COVID is among these groups. The findings are expected to play a crucial role in influencing funding for local health departments and services aimed at supporting those affected by long COVID.

In the second phase, selected participants from the initial interviews will be invited to join a more in-depth study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, known as RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery). This study will span three to four years, and participants will receive compensation for their involvement.

The meeting concluded with a reminder that further details about these initiatives can be found in the written director's report, emphasizing the city's commitment to addressing the health impacts of COVID-19 and supporting affected communities.