NEW YORK – In response to news that the House of Representatives passed Biden’s Covid-19 relief package, the non-partisan grassroots survivor network, Covid Survivors for Change, released the following statements:

“For long haulers like me, this bill cannot come soon enough,” said Marjorie Roberts, a member of Covid Survivors for Change in Atlanta, who contracted Covid-19 in March and still struggles with lingering symptoms. “I never expected that going to work and doing my job would result in my contracting a virus that could take me out of the workforce for more than 11 months. This experience is terrifying and isolating, and we need help. I’m grateful that this bill is moving forward and that the lawmakers I worked hard to elect will vote for it.”    

“Nurses are burnt out. People are still contracting the deadly virus and still being admitted to hospitals and dying every day,” said Cathrine Solomon, a member of Covid Survivors for Change and nurse in New York City, whose parents and uncle died from Covid-19. “ICUs are still caring for Covid-19 patients and the work for our ICU nurses and healthcare providers continues. Our healthcare providers need some relief and President Biden’s Covid-19 plan gives us a little more hope that we can eradicate this pandemic sooner. We need to think about the community, and so I urge senators to pass Biden’s plan.”

“We applaud House members for taking action to address the urgent needs of Covid-19 survivors and the millions of Americans who’ve been struggling from the ongoing effects of this deadly virus,” said Chris Kocher, executive director of Covid Survivors for Change. “This package is a critical step to giving families the sense of security and relief they deserve. The Senate must now act to get the final bill to President Biden’s desk for signature, and bring relief to American families in need.”   

About COVID Survivors for Change

Covid Survivors for Change is a national, non-partisan movement bringing together Americans who have lost a loved one to Covid-19, as well as those who have survived the virus and those whose lives have been dramatically altered by the pandemic. As part of Covid Survivors for Change, Americans are mobilizing to make sure that communities have the funding, resources and leadership in place to address future public health emergencies. Survivors will also find community and healing in meeting other people whose lives have been forever changed by the pandemic. For more information, please visit: covidsurvivorsforchange.org.

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