Long COVID research & guidance
A Blackfeet college instructor just won a grant to study Long COVID impacts in Indigenous communities, part of a broader push to map chronic symptoms and functional impact. (kxlh.com) The CDC has also updated clinical guidance in 2026 on how Long COVID is defined, diagnosed and managed — though definitions and data gaps still complicate care. (ajmc.com)
Dianna Arnoux‑Whiteman is leading a project titled “The Residual Effects of Long COVID on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation,” approved by the Blackfeet Nation Institutional Review Board and funded through the Montana INBRE program (grant P20GM103474). (tribalcollegejournal.org) The study will use a two‑part approach — an initial screening survey followed by an in‑depth survey — and will pull existing COVID‑related data from the Blackfeet Tribal Health Department, Southern Piegan Health Center, Blackfeet Community Hospital and other local programs while working with BFCC faculty and Montana INBRE investigators. (flatheadbeacon.com) Local pandemic figures cited in reporting show the Blackfeet COVID‑19 Incident Command recorded about 4,000 cases and 67 deaths by July 2022, and Montana data from 2020 indicated Native Americans made up roughly 6.6% of the state population but accounted for at least 17% of cases and 32% of deaths at that time. (flatheadbeacon.com) The CDC’s March 9, 2026 clinical guidance defines Long COVID as an “infection‑associated chronic condition” that is present for at least three months as a continuous, relapsing/remitting, or progressive disease affecting one or more organ systems, notes that a positive SARS‑CoV‑2 test is not required for diagnosis, and reiterates use of ICD‑10‑CM code U09.9 for Post‑COVID Condition. (cdc.gov) Clinical commentators and the AJMC FAQ highlight that definitions still vary across organizations (CDC, NASEM and research studies), that Long COVID remains an exclusion diagnosis without a single biomarker, and that ICD inclusion alone has not resolved misclassification and access inequalities. (ajmc.com) Reporters and public‑health officials say community‑level, tribal‑led prevalence work like Arnoux‑Whiteman’s is intended to fill data gaps the CDC flags — measuring symptom burden and functional impact locally to inform care pathways and surveillance as national definitions and guidance continue to be evaluated. (cdc.gov)
