VA research during the COVID-19 pandemic

Overview News Briefs Selected Studies by VA Researchers Clinical Trials Laboratory Studies Data Analysis/Review Other Research Commentary Active and Recently Completed Research Clinical trials Observational studies Data analysis projects Other research activities COVID-19 work highlighted on HSR&D site Useful links

COVID-19 FACT SHEET Download PDF For VA investigators: Please check our funding page for news about new funding opportunities relating to COVID-19.

Overview

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, VA Research has undertaken a wide array of activities to support and advance VA's clinical and research missions and help Veterans affected by the disease. These efforts have spanned biomedical research, therapeutics and vaccine clinical trials, and data analyses that leverage VA's rich electronic health record system. VA Research has coordinated closely with internal VA and external partners—such as the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies, and pharmaceutical companies—to identify the areas in which VA's nationwide research capacity, resources, and infrastructure could make the greatest contribution.

On this web page, we summarize recent and current COVID-19 research across the VA system.

News Briefs

Risk of death from COVID-19 decreased, still higher than flu risk
St. Louis VA researchers learned that the risk of death from COVID-19 is still higher than the risk of death from the flu despite a decreasing COVID-19 mortality risk. The researchers analyzed VA hospital admissions between October 2022 and January 2023. Death rates for patients admitted for COVID-19 were 6%, while death rates for flu patients were 4%. In 2020, 17% to 21% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 died, compared with 4% of patients hospitalized for the flu. The researchers attribute the decreased COVID-19 death rate to vaccinations and improved clinical care, as well changes in virus variants. (JAMA, April 6, 2023)

Suicidal ideations among Veterans fell during pandemic
Despite concerns that Veterans would be at a high risk of suicide because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study by VA Connecticut researchers found that rates of suicidal thoughts in Veterans actually decreased after the onset of the pandemic. The study included more than 2,000 Veterans assessed for suicidal thoughts. In this group, 9.3% reported suicidal thoughts pre-pandemic in 2019, which dropped to 6.8% in 2020 before increasing slightly to 7.7% in 2022. Only 0.4% of participants attempted suicide during the pandemic, a rate consistent with pre-pandemic numbers. The factors most associated with new suicidal thoughts were higher education, lifetime substance use disorder, pre-pandemic loneliness, and lower pre-pandemic purpose in life. (JAMA Psychiatry, April 5, 2023)

Paxlovid lowers risk of COVID post-conditions, hospitalization, death
A study by VA St. Louis researchers found that the antiviral drug Paxlovid lowers the risk of long COVID and death. The researchers looked at outcomes of more than 280,000 high-risk VA COVID-19 patients, nearly 36,000 of whom had been prescribed Paxlovid (generic name nirmatrelvir). Patients who were given the medication within five days of a positive COVID-19 test had a 26% lower risk of developing post-COVID conditions, a 47% lower risk of death from the disease, and a 24% lower risk of needing hospitalization. Paxlovid reduced the risk of long COVID symptoms in people who were unvaccinated, vaccinated, and boosted, and in people with their first infection or a reinfection. Study author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly said the findings support using Paxlovid for high-risk patients both to treat acute COVID-19 and to lower the risk of lasting effects. (JAMA Network Open, March 23, 2023)

VA tablet program increased Veterans’ telehealth use during pandemic
The VA Office of Connected Care widely expanded its video-enabled tablet program at the onset of the pandemic, increasing the number of Veterans who received tablets nearly six-fold. When VA Palo Alto researchers and colleagues compared pandemic access numbers to those from 2019 and 2020, they found that Veterans who received tablets during the pandemic were more likely to use video care, and they did so more frequently than those who received tablets before the pandemic. However, older Veterans, or those unstably housed, were less likely to use video visits than other groups. The researchers concluded interventions may be needed to improve telehealth access for Veterans with unstable housing or who are less familiar with technology. (Journal of Medical Internet Research, Dec. 20, 2022)

COVID-19 reinfection increases risk of death and health problems
COVID-19 reinfection increases the risk of death and health problems, found a VA St. Louis study. Researchers used VA’s health care database to compare health outcomes of nearly 444,000 Veterans who had COVID-19 once, nearly 41,000 who had it two or more times, and over 5 million who never had it. They found that those who had multiple COVID-19 infections were at higher risk of death and hospitalization than those who only had COVID-19 once. They were also at higher risk for a variety of health problems, including lung and heart problems, diabetes, and mental health disorders. The risk was highest when people were first sick, but many still had elevated risk six months later. Risk of death and health problems increased with the number of infections. The results show that strategies are needed to prevent COVID-19 reinfection to protect against additional health risks, say the researchers. (Nature Medicine, Nov. 10, 2022)

View all studies

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Selected Studies by VA Researchers

Clinical Trials

The effect of povidone-iodine nasal spray on nasopharyngeal SARS-Co-V-2 viral load: A randomized control trial. Zarabanda D, Vukkadala N, Phillips KM, Qian ZJ, Mfuh KO, Hatter JN, Lee IT et al. Dilute versions of povidone-iodine nasal spray are safe for topical use in the nasal cavity, but the spray does not demonstrate virus-eliminating activity in COVID-19 positive patients. Laryngoscope. 2022 Nov;132(11):2089-2095.

Efficacy and safety of ensovibep for adults hospitalized with COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial. ACTIV-3/TICO Study Group et al. Compared with placebo, the medication ensovibep did not improve clinical outcomes for hospitalized participants with COVID-19 standard care, including remdesivir. No safety concerns were identified. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Sep;175(9):1266-1274.

A pilot randomized controlled trial of supervised, at-home, self-administered transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to manage long COVID symptoms. Badran BW, Huffman SM, Dancy M, Austelle CW, Bikson M, Kautz SA, George MS. Supervised, self-administered stimulation of the vagus nerve to relieve mental fatigue symptoms related to long COVID is safe and feasible. Larger studies can safely investigate the effectiveness of this treatment. Bioelectron Med. 2022 Aug 25;8(1):13.

Randomized trial on metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine for Covid-19. Bramante CT, Huling JD, Tignanelli CJ, Buse JB, Liebovitz DM, Nicklas JM, Cohen K et al. Metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine did not prevent low blood oxygen, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or death associated with COVID-19. N Engl J Med. 2022 Aug 18;387(7):599-610.

Baricitinib versus dexamethasone for adults hospitalised with COVID-19 (ACTT-4): a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Wolfe CR, Tomashek KM, Patterson TF, Gomez CA, Marconi VA, Jain MK, Yang OO et al. In hospitalized patients with COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen, baricitinib plus remdesivir and dexamethasone plus remdesivir resulted in similar mechanical ventilation-free survival by day 29, but dexamethasone was associated with significantly more adverse events. Lancet Respir Med. 2022 May 23. Online ahead of print.

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Laboratory Studies

Honokiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell culture at a post-entry step . Salago-Benvindo C, Leijs AA, Thaler M, Tas A, Arbiser JL, Snijder EJ, van Hemert MJ. Honokiol, a molecule from the magnolia tree, inhibits replication of the virus that causes COVID-19. Microbiol Spectr. 2023 May 22. Online ahead of print.

Inflammatory and mental health sequelae of COVID-19 . Loftis JM, Firsick E, Shirley K, Adkins JL, Le-Cook A, Sano E, Hudson R, Moorman J. People with COVID-19 tested worse on a measure of anxiety and depression compared with uninfected people. Changes in neuropsychiatric symptom severity were accompanied by alterations in immune factors and higher biomarkers of inflammation. Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2023 May 18. Online ahead of print.

Maternal transfer of IgA and IgG SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies transplacentally and via breast milk feeding. Sajadi MM, Shokatpour N, Purcell M, Tehrani ZR, Lankford A, Bathula A, Campbell JD et al. Vaccination of mothers after childbirth followed by breastfeeding appears to be the best way to provide SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to infants. PLoS One. 2023 Apr 6;18(4):e0284020.

Synergistic detrimental effects of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and SARS-CoV-2 in COPD bronchial epithelial cells. Muralidharan A, Bauer CD, Katafiasz DM, Strah HM, Siddique A, Reid SP, Bailey KL, Wyatt TA. With pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, short exposure to alcohol or cigarette smoke is sufficient to exacerbate COVID-19 infection and associated injury, impairing lung defenses. Pathogens. 2023 Mar 22;12(3):498.

Serum neutralizing antibody titers 12 months after coronavirus disease 2019 messenger RNA vaccination: Correlation to clinical variables in an adult, US population. Zhao M, Slotkin R, Sheth AH, Pischel L, Kyriakides TC, Emu B, McNamara C et al. Multiple clinical factors affect the strength and duration of primary series vaccination, but not post-booster dose strength. Malignancy was associated with lower booster-dose response regardless of prior COVID-19 infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):e391-e399.

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Data Analysis/Review

Adverse outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection with delta and omicron variants in vaccinated versus unvaccinated US veterans: Retrospective cohort study . Hohnert AS ,Kumbier K, Rowneki M, Gupta A, Bajema K, Hynes DM, Viglianti E et al. In Veterans with high health care use and high occurrence of multi-morbidity, vaccination was robustly associated with lower odds of 30-day morbidity and mortality compared with no vaccination among patients infected with COVID-19. The vaccination type and number of doses had a significant association with outcomes. BMJ. 2023 May 23;381:e074521.

Excess mortality among patients in the Veterans Affairs health system compared with the overall US population during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic . Weinberger DM, Rose L, Rentsch C, Asch SM, Columbo JA, King J Jr et al. Active users of the VA health system had similar relative increases in mortality compared with the general U.S. population during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2312140.

Mortality among US Veterans admitted to community vs Veterans Health Administration hospitals for COVID-19 . Ohl ME, Richardson Miell K, Becks BF, Mecham B, Bailey G, Mengeling M, Vaughan-Sarrazin M. Among VA health care enrollees, most older Veterans hospitalized for COVID-19 were in community hospitals, and Veterans experienced higher mortality in community hospitals than in VA hospitals. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2315902.

Hospital catchment areas characteristics and geographic regions associated with higher COVID-19 Veterans Health Administration hospitalization during the Omicron surge. Wong MS, Frochen S, Steers WN, Washington DL. Within VA’s health care system, areas serving a larger high-risk patient population had more Omicron-related hospitalizations, while areas with more fully vaccinated and boosted patients and new VHA users had lower hospitalizations. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2023 April 27. Online ahead of print.

Molnupiravir and risk of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: Cohort study . Xie Y, Choi T, Al-Aly Z. In people with SARS-CoV-2 infection and at least one risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19, molnupiravir use within five days of infection was associated with reduced risk of post-acute symptoms in people who had and had not received a vaccine and in those with a first infection or reinfection. BMJ. 2023 Apr 25;381:e074572.

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Other Research

COVID-19 and lifetime experiences of trauma, moral injury, and institutional betrayal among healthcare providers . DeBeer BB, Mignogna J, Nance M, Bahraini N, Penzenik M, Brenner LA. Findings indicate that trauma exposure was a work hazard for health care providers during the pandemic, which could result in negative long-term mental health outcomes. J Occup Environ Med. 2023 May 24. Online ahead of print.

Factors related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among middle-income and low-income adults in the USA. Nguyen VT, Huang Y, Huang M, Tsai J. In an online survey, the three main vaccine concerns were side effects, safety, and mistrust of vaccine distribution. Factors influencing vaccine acceptance included age, education, children, region, mental health and social support, threat perception, opinion of governmental response, risk exposure and prevention activities, and rejecting COVID-19 vaccine concerns. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2023 Mar 8. Online ahead of print.

Moral injury and psychosocial functioning in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weber MC, Smith AJ, Jones RT, Holmes GA, Johnson AL, Patrick RNC, Alexander MD et al. Moral injury is prevalent and impairing for health care workers, which establishes a need for interventions with health care workers in organized settings. Psychol Serv. 2023 Feb;20(1):19-29.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorders in U.S. military Veterans. Mitchell KS, Smith BN, Masheb R, Vogt D. Early pandemic mental health symptoms were associated with changes in Veterans’ eating disorder diagnoses one year later. Mental health symptoms increased eating disorder diagnoses via their impact on social and health satisfaction, as well as physical health impacts of the pandemic. Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Jan;56(1):108-117.

Airflow patterns in double-occupancy patient rooms may contribute to roommate-to-roommate transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Cadnum LJ, Jencson AL, Alhmidi H, Zabarsky TF, Donskey CJ. Airflow patterns in double-occupancy patient rooms may contribute to risk for COVID-19 transmission between roommates. Keeping curtains closed between beds may be beneficial in reducing risk. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Dec 19;75(12):2128-2134.

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Commentary

Global vaccine inequality threatens to unleash the next COVID-19 variant. Oehler RL, Vega VR. The emergence of COVID-19 variants from under-vaccinated regions is a direct consequence of the virus replicating unchecked through an unprotected population. Much more needs to be done to address global vaccine inequities and prevent the next devastating variant. Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 18. Online ahead of print.

Estimated impact of the US COVID-19 vaccination campaign-Getting to 94% of deaths prevented. Jones M, Khader K, Branch-Elliman W. Substantial investments into national data infrastructure and research are needed to increase vaccine uptake and prevent more COVID-19 deaths. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jul 1;5(7):e2220391.

Approaches to long COVID care: the Veterans Health Administration experience in 2021. Gustavson AM, Eaton TL, Schapira RM, Iwashyna TH, Adly M, Purnell. Even well-resources health care systems such as VA are grappling with how to best address long COVID care. BMJ Mil Health. 2022 Jul 1;e002185.

Leveraging anthropological expertise to respond to the COVID-19 global mental health syndemic. Azevedo KJ, Riendeau RP, Sweet PA, Holmes SM. Anthropologists collaborating directly with mental health clinicians and the public can contribute to solutions to improve mental health issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Am Anthropol. 2022 Jun. Online ahead of press.

Awakening: The unveiling of historically unaddressed social inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Andrasik MP, Maunakea AK, Oseso L, Rodriguez-Diaz CE, Wallace S, Walters K, Yukawa M. Long-standing inequities paved the way for the disproportionate burdens of COVID-19 among people of color across the country. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2022 Jun;36(2):295-308.

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Active and Recently Completed Research

Clinical trials

As of November 2021, nearly 70 VA medical centers are involved in one or more COVID-19 clinical trials. Below are several examples. A full list of COVID-19 Clinical Trials in VA is also available.

• VA CURES—The wide-reaching VA CURES master protocol, launched in August 2020, enables a series of clinical trials across VA. The initial study examined the effects of convalescent plasma. VA CURES stands for “Coronavirus Research and Efficacy Studies.” The initiative aims to give Veterans faster access to potential COVID-19 treatments and to test their effectiveness. As a master protocol, VA CURES offers a standardized framework for studies on many potential treatments for COVID-19, without the need for a new study design and protocol each time. VA CURES now serves as a partnering network for trials and VA trial sites.

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• VA has been part of two major national research initiatives on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics:  Operation Warp Speed (OWS) and the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative.
  • Through OWS and other efforts, VA was an active participant in several clinical trials designed to evaluate potential COVID-19 vaccines. These trials have included:
    • The Moderna/COVE trial, which took place at one VA site. In December 2020, Moderna obtained an emergency use authorization for its vaccine from the FDA.
    • The AstraZeneca trial, now closed to enrollment.
    • The Janssen ENSEMBLE trial, which included 17 VA sites and is now closed to enrollment. The vaccine received FDA emergency use authorization in late February 2021.
    • The Pfizer trial, now closed to enrollment. In December 2020, Pfizer obtained an emergency use authorization for its vaccine from the FDA.
    • The Novavax trial, now closed to enrollment in VA.
• ACTIV, led by the National Institutes of Health, brings together multiple groups within VA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense, as well as outside organizations, to conduct large-scale clinical trials. VA is participating in two ACTIV protocols:
  • ACTIV-2 is a trial platform for outpatients with mild COVID-19 with risk of worsening illness. It is investigating multiple new drugs for potential COVID-19 treatment through clinical trials. ACTIV-2 has completed studies on six monoclonal antibodies, an antiviral, and an immunomodulator, and is currently studying multiple other possible therapeutics. Six VA sites have participated in ACTIV-2.
  • ACTIV-3 is a trial platform for inpatients with COVID-19. It is designed to test neutralizing monoclonal antibody and antiviral treatments in rapid succession. ACTIV-3 has completed trials of four monoclonal antibodies and one antiviral, and is enrolling participants for testing of a new antiviral. ACTIV-3 trials are also investigating patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, the drugs aviptadil and remdesivir alone or in combination as a COVID-19 treatment, and strategies for post-COVID-19 illness vaccination. Twenty VA sites have enrolled patients in ACTIV-3 studies.
• CDC SUPERNOVA—In partnership with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, VA has undertaken the Surveillance Platform for Enteric and Respiratory Infectious Organisms at the VA (SUPERNOVA) project. A network of five VA medical centers is conducting active and passive surveillance for acute gastroenteritis, a symptom of COVID-19 and other illnesses. Monitoring includes both laboratory-confirmed testing for SARS-CoV-2 and norovirus, as well as electronic health system data from patients’ charts. The project will help track pathogen distribution over time.
• Trials with industry—VA took part in a number of industry-sponsored studies of promising medications for COVID-19. These included, for example, studies of the drug tocilizumab with Hoffman-La Roche, and sarilumab with Regeneron. Both drugs are used in arthritis care and block an inflammatory protein known as IL-6.
• Remdesivir trial with NIH—VA sites took part in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of remdesivir and other medications for hospitalized patients with COVID-19, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
• PURIFY blood filter technology—Scientists with VA, DOD, and partner institutions are testing a new technology called the Seraph 100 blood filter that may be able to filter out viral particles and harmful molecules from the bloodstreams of COVID-19 patients. The PURIFY program is a four-part, multi-site clinical evaluation that involves 13 participating sites across the U.S., including one VA medical center. Preliminary data suggests that severely ill patients treated with the Seraph filter had lower mortality rates than other patients.

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Observational studies

• Natural history study—VA is collaborating with the Department of Defense on an observational, natural history study of COVID-19 illness titled “Epidemiology, Immunology and Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19” (EPIC³). Researchers are collecting data and biospecimens from volunteers for up to two years to better understand the clinical course of COVID-19. The study also aims to establish repositories of clinical data and specimens, along with a participant registry, to support future studies of COVID-19 and other health conditions. Recruitment at up to 16 sites began in July 2020.
• COVID-19 and cancer—The National Cancer Institute COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study, or NCCAPS, is a natural history study of COVID-19 in people with cancer. In a natural history study, researchers follow people and collect medical and other information about them over time to learn more about how a disease and its symptoms develop and change. Diagnosis and treatment of a disease are not part of natural history studies. The knowledge gained through this study will help doctors better manage treatment for people with cancer and COVID-19 in the future. As part of the NCCAPS study, researchers will collect blood samples, medical information, and medical images from 2,000 people with cancer who also have COVID-19. Each person will be followed for up to two years to help doctors understand how cancer affects COVID-19 and COVID-19 affects cancer. The study is recruiting volunteers nationwide, including at 11 VA locations.

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Data analysis projects

• COVID-19 Insights Partnership—VA is a key partner in the COVID-19 Insights Partnership, along with the departments of Energy (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The initiative aims to coordinate and share health data as well as research and expertise to aid in the fight against COVID-19.The Partnership creates a framework for VA and HHS to use DOE’s world-leading high-performance computing and artificial intelligence resources to conduct COVID-19 research and analyze health data.
• Million Veteran Program—VA’s Million Veteran Program (MVP) has deployed a COVID-19 questionnaire to participants to collect information about their experience with COVID-19. In addition, MVP has prioritized a series of research questions to examine the genetic basis of infection by SARS CoV-2; complications of infection; disease severity and outcomes; and response to various medications. MVP is working to identify disease mechanisms and new treatment targets for COVID-19. Given MVP's racially and ethnically diverse participant population (~ 20% African American and 7% Hispanic), the influence of race and ethnicity on disease susceptibility, severity, and outcomes is an integral part of the analyses.
• VA SHIELD—The VA Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Life-Threatening Diseases (VA SHIELD) is a comprehensive, secure biorepository of specimens and associated data related to COVID-19 and other emerging diseases. The specimens and data are available to authorized investigators to advance scientific understanding and support of developing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies for use in clinical care.
• VA SeqCURE—VA SeqCURE, short for VA Sequencing Collaborations United for Research and Epidemiology, is a network of VA research labs funded by the American Rescue Plan of 2021. Five VA sites are included: Cleveland, Durham, Iowa City, Boise, and Temple. The network will generate genetic sequencing data for public health surveillance. Projects under VA SeqCURE will include studying the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, analyzing antimicrobial-resistance organisms, and working with VA SHIELD to establish protocols for handling biospecimens.
• Synthesizing evidence from publications—Researchers from the HSR&D Evidence Synthesis Program are working to help synthesize publications about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, and to translate that information quickly into usable guidance for clinicians. The ESP’s completed reports can be found here.
  Additional evidence reviews can be found at www.covid19reviews.org. The goal of this resource is to capture the work of evidence synthesis groups, like VA’s, around the US and the globe, and thereby avoid duplication of effort and maximize the contribution of these researchers. The catalog is maintained by the VA ESP Coordinating Center in Portland, Oregon. New evidence reviews and reviews in progress are identified through literature searching and correspondence with colleagues and content experts. The team has also set up a listserv to facilitate collaboration among systematic review researchers.
• International collaboration—Researchers with the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure team are participating in the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (or OHDSI, pronounced "Odyssey") program, an international, interdisciplinary collaborative to maximize the value of health data through large-scale analytics.
• COVID-19 Observational Research Collaboratory (CORC)—A VA research initiative is bringing together VA experts to analyze the use and effects of COVID-19 drugs with clinical partners interested in the safety and efficiency of these therapies. VA’s Health Services Research and Development Service, Clinical Science Research and Development Service, and Cooperative Studies Programestablished the collaboratory soon after the pandemic took hold earlier this year. CORC is conducting a national three-year study of VA inpatients and outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19, compared with matched controls. The study will use electronic health record data and surveys to assess risk factors and long-term symptoms.
• Dementia patients—VA researchers in Providence have funding from the National Institute on Aging to study COVID-19 risk factors and outcomes among Veterans with dementia who live in VA community living centers.

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Other research activities

• COVID-19 and mental health—In addition to studying how to prevent or treat COVID-19, VA is examining the mental health impact of the pandemic. To date, ORD has funded nearly 30 studies looking at mental, behavioral, and social health and COVID-19. Some are new projects focused wholly on COVID-19, whereas others are supplements to existing projects that are broader in scope. The following study titles indicate some of the themes being explored:
  • Inflammatory and Mental Health Sequelae of COVID-19 in Veterans
  • An Integrative Technology Approach to Home-Based Conjoint Therapy for PTSD  
  • Impact of COVID-19 On Mental Health, Relationship Functioning and VA Telemental Health Service Use in a Longitudinal Cohort Study    
  • Impact of COVID-19 and Social Distancing on Mental Health and Suicide Risk in Veterans
  • Piloting a Self-Help Intervention to Improve Veteran Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Mixed-Methods Pilot Study of the Impacts of Telemental Healthcare for High-Risk Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder During COVID-19
  • Adapting Caring Contacts to Counteract Adverse Effects of Social Distancing among High-Risk Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Virtual Pain Care for High-Risk Veterans on Opioids During COVID-19 (and Beyond)
  • Changes in the Delivery of Evidenced-Based Psychotherapies for Depression and PTSD as the Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on African American Veterans with Chronic Pain
• Biomedical studies—VA biomedical researchers are part of the fight against COVID-19. The following project titles illustrate the scope of the VA lab studies already completed or being conducted to better understand how the virus works, and to identify new ways to keep it from spreading and causing disease.
  • 3D-Printed Respirator Mask Performance with and without Virus Inactivation 
  • A Safe Validation to Test the Efficacy of Disinfectants on Reusable 3D-Printed Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic 
  • Leukocyte Rewiring as a Mechanism of COVID-19-ARDS 
  • Viral and Immune Dynamics of Sars-Cov-2 Infection in Moderate and Severe COVID-
  • Predictive Immune and Airway Monitoring in Healthcare Workers and Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients 
• Boosting the VA supply chain—Rehabilitation researchers are helping to build a more resilient supply chain for VA. Researchers from several centers are involved, such as the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) in Pittsburgh; the Center for Limb Loss and Mobility at the Puget Sound VA; the Minneapolis Adaptive Design and Engineering Program; and the Advanced Platform Technology Center in Cleveland. Partners in this effort include the VA Innovation Ecosystem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and America Makes. These researchers and their colleagues have been designing, fabricating, and evaluating personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies to support VA’s response to this pandemic, such as masks, face shields, desk shields, nasal testing swabs. In many cases, 3D printing is involved.

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COVID-19 work highlighted on HSR&D site

For a concise overview of current VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) efforts on COVID-19, visit COVID-19 Efforts.

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Useful links

• VA COVID-19 Research Volunteer List
• Department of Veterans Affairs Public Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• COVID-19 Reviews [maintained by VA ESP]

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Questions about the R&D website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.