Research
Making progress toward recovery

Together we can do more. The RECOVER Initiative brings together scientists, clinicians, patients and caregivers to understand recovery from the long-term effects of COVID.
Explore Research
How Research Works
Learn more about how RECOVER studies work, access RECOVER research protocols, and understand what to expect as a participant in RECOVER studies.
Community Participation
RECOVER includes community voices at all levels of the initiative, as we seek diverse experiences to inform our research.
Funding Opportunities
View current and previous RECOVER Funding Opportunities.
RECOVER Research Questions
RECOVER Results
RECOVER Electronic Health Records (EHR) Study Compares Risks of Heart Problems after COVID Infection and mRNA COVID Vaccination
Researchers from RECOVER and the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) compared the risk of heart problems after COVID infection and after mRNA COVID vaccination. They used EHR data from 40 health care systems representing more than 15 million people, aged 5 years or older. The study compared people of similar age, gender, and number of vaccine doses to see what increased the risk of heart problems.
The study found that the risk of heart problems after getting an mRNA COVID vaccine was very low for people of all ages and genders. Also, the risk of having heart problems after having COVID was significantly higher than after getting an mRNA COVID vaccine.
These findings support the continued use of the recommended mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for all eligible people aged 5 or older. See this recent study in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
RECOVER Together
Progress takes the best science.
The RECOVER Initiative will collect data from many patients across the country. This will include data from medical records to understand how people are experiencing Long COVID. Looking at what happens to patients over time can help us understand their Long COVID story. We will then combine these data to help answer big questions.
The detailed study plan—called the main protocols—is the same for all RECOVER studies. Using the same study plan lets us combine data from different study locations. This helps us get answers to important questions faster.
Also, each study brings specific kinds of information that will help us understand Long COVID. Various groups of people—known as cohorts—will be included in the studies. These include adults, children and their caregivers, and pregnant women and their newborn babies. This will help us understand how different people are experiencing Long COVID.
studies.recovercovid.org