Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department is providing to research into chronic lung conditions caused by covid-19 infection.

The Government recognises that chronic health conditions, including chronic lung conditions, may result from a COVID-19 infection and that there is a need to invest in research to better understand these conditions and how to effectively support affected individuals. The National Institute for Health Research, with UK Research and Innovation, has funded a post-hospitalisation study to understand and improve long-term health outcomes for people hospitalised with COVID-19 and four research studies specifically looking at the long-term effects of COVID-19, in non-hospitalised individuals with funding totalling £18.5 million. In addition, a second £20 million ‘long’ COVID-19 research call is currently underway.