UF’s COVID Restore Clinic Treats Long Haulers
The World Health Organization (WHO) released an official definition of the condition known as long COVID in October 2020, but UF Health has been operating a clinic focused on COVID long-haul treatment since July 2021.
According to the WHO definition, long COVID “occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis.”
Dr. Irene M. Estores, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Florida said the clinic opened as the delta variant surge hit communities in July 2021.
The clinic, known as UF Health’s COVID Restore, is embedded within the Integrative Medicine clinic instead of being a stand-alone clinic, Estores said.
“This is one of the things that I was mulling over when we launched this,” she said. “Gainesville’s experience with COVID and long COVID is very different from Miami or Broward [counties]. We did not have as big of a hit as they did. If the volume merits a full-fledged long-haul COVID clinic, then we will probably go that route.”
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