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

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)

Paxlovid lowers risk of Long COVID
The medication Paxlovid lowers the risk of Long COVID, according to a VA St. Louis study. The study included more than 56,000 Veterans with a positive COVID-19 test. Those given Paxlovid—an oral antiviral medication that has been shown to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization—had a 25% decreased risk of developing 10 of 12 different Long COVID conditions studies. The decreased risk was found regardless of whether it was a participant’s first COVID-19 infection or a reinfection, and regardless of whether the participants were unvaccinated, vaccinated, or boosted. Paxlovid could be an important asset to address the serious issue of Long COVID, said the researchers. The study was released as a pre-print in the interest of public health. (medRxiv, Nov. 5, 2022)

COVID-19 increases risk of neurologic disorders
COVID-19 increases the risk of long-term neurologic disorders, according to a VA St. Louis study. Researchers compared data on over 150,000 VA patients who contracted COVID-19 with more than 11 million people who had not had COVID-19. A year after recovering, COVID-19 patients had higher risk of a wide array of neurologic conditions, including stroke, memory disorders, nervous system disorders, migraines and seizures, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and sensory disorders. COVID-19 patients had elevated risks and burdens even when they did not require hospitalization during their illness. The results highlight a need for health care system planning to address the potential long-term consequences of COVID-19, say the researchers. (Nature Medicine, Sept. 22, 2022)

New prediction model to estimate risk of COVID-19 death

VA researchers developed a new prediction model to estimate the probability of death from COVID-19. The mathematical model, called PDeathDx, uses diagnostic codes from medical records to survey all of a patients’ preexisting conditions to estimate the risk that COVID-19 poses. Starting with data from 1997, the researchers used diagnoses from the first time a patient sought care until 14 days before a positive COVID-19 test, then compared that to COVID outcomes for nearly 350,000 patients treated in VA. They found that the new model outperformed other conventional prediction models. The study also showed that certain underlying conditions—such as neurological diseases, dementia, and severe disability—are much more likely to result in severe COVID or death. The approach used here could be adapted to predict outcomes for other diseases and conditions, say the researchers. (Biological Methods & Protocols, Aug. 4, 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

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.

Association between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and patient symptoms and clinical outcomes using droplet digital PCR. Hastie E, Amogan H, Looney D, Mehta SR. Viral load in the upper throat was not a strong predictor of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 in the pre-Delta and Delta phases of the pandemic but was predictive of symptomatic diseases and in-hospital mortality, providing support for the idea that early viral control prevents the progression of the disease. Viruses. 2023 Feb 5;15(2):446.

Blood-brain barrier penetration of non-replicating SARS-CoV-2 and S1 variants of concern induce neuroinflammation which is accentuated in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Erickson MA, Logsdon AF, Rhea EM, Hansen KM, Holden SJ, Banks WA, Smith JL et al. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation in the brain, a major mechanism behind central nervous system and cognitive impairments. The Delta and Omicron variants cross this barrier faster than other variants. Brain Behay Immun. 2023 Jan 19. Online ahead of print.

Anti-membrane antibodies persist at least one year and discriminate between past coronavirus disease 2019 infection and vaccination. Amjadi MF, Adyniec RR, Gupta S, Bashar SJ, Mergaert AM, Braun KM, Moreno GK et al. After COVID-19 infection, antibodies persist for at least one year and can be used to differentiate between people who have been infected, vaccinated, or neither. J Infect Dis. 2022 Nov 28;226(11):1897-1902.

SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG antibody and ACE2 receptor binding inhibition levels among breakthrough stage Veteran patients. Chensue SW, Siler AF, Kim PS, Dimcheff DE, Daghfal DJ, Prostko J, Frias E et al. Antibody levels declined significantly 150 days after initial two-dose COVID-19 vaccination, while vaccination after resolved infection and booster vaccination conferred longer immunity. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Nov 21. Online ahead of print.

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Data Analysis/Review

Rates of primary care and integrated mental health telemedicine visits between rural and urban Veterans Affairs beneficiaries before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leung LB, Yoo C, Chu K, O’Shea A, Jackson NJ, Heyworth L, Der-Martirosian C. Despite initial telemedicine gains at rural VA health care sites, the pandemic was associated with an increase in the rural-urban telemedicine divide across the VA health care system. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e231864.

Validation of a predictive model for hospital-acquired acute kidney injury with emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. McAdams MC, Xu P, Li M, Gregg LP, Saleh SN, Ostrosky-Frid M, Willett DL et al. A model for predicting hospital-acquired acute kidney injury remained accurate in different COVID-19 variants, suggesting that risk factors for the kidney injury have not substantially evolved across variants. J Investig Med. 2023 Feb 14. Online ahead of print.

Inflammatory biomarkers differ among hospitalized Veterans infected with Alpha, Delta, and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Park C, Tavakoli-Tabasi S, Sharafkhaneh A, Seligman BJ, Hicken B, Amos CI, Chou A, Razjouyan J. Veterans infected with the Omicron variant showed milder inflammatory responses and lower mortality than other variants. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 8;20(4):2987.

Palliative care in a pandemic: A multicenter cohort of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Kodadek LM, Moore MS, Miller SM, Schneider EB, Ahuja V, Maerz LL, Davis KA. Mortality among critically ill patients with COVID-19 has remained constant across two pandemic waves with no change in use of palliative or end-of-life care. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2023 Feb 8. Online ahead of print.

The impact of COVID-19 on trends in alcohol use disorder treatment in Veterans Health Administration. Perumalswami PV, Kilpatrick S, Frost MC, Adams MA, Kim HM, Zhang L, Lin LA. Despite increased telehealth use, the percentage of VA patients with an alcohol use disorder diagnosis receiving treatment declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly because of a decrease in psychotherapy use. Addiction. 2023 Feb 3. Online ahead of print.

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Other Research

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.

Real-world evidence on the effectiveness of plexiglass barriers in reducing aerosol exposure. Cadnum JL, Jencson AL, Memic S, Osborne AO, Torres-Teran MM, Wilson BM, Deshpande A, Donskey CJ. In real-world settings, plexiglass barriers vary widely in effectiveness in reducing staff exposure to aerosols, and some barriers may increase risk for exposure if not positions correctly. Pathog Immun. 2022 Nov 4;7(2):66-77.

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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.