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By now more than half of Americans say they’ve had Covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But some haven’t fully recovered, particularly those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.

The Baltimore VA Medical Center wants to help veterans fully recover from Covid. Researchers have launched a study nicknamed “BOOST” to give free exercise classes to veterans in the hopes of improving their heart and lungs.

The goal of BOOST is “to determine if the home-based supervised group exercise program improves physical performance and cardiopulmonary fitness in veterans who have had Covid,” explained Dr. Alice Ryan, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study.

How the study works

The study, officially named “Home-Based Exercise Tele-Rehabilitation After COVID-19 (BOOST),” is mostly done from home. That allows people who don’t live near Baltimore to benefit, too.

“What’s unique with this program is that we can reach people in urban and rural communities in the VA Maryland Medical System,” Ryan said.

First, though, veterans will travel to the Baltimore VA Medical Center, located at 10 Greene St., Baltimore, for in-person testing.

The BOOST study will send participants home with a heart monitor to strap to their chest during classes, a mat and small hand weights.

Then, with the help of researchers they’ll take exercise classes from home. A live instructor will teach classes virtually twice a week for three months.

The VA will be there every step of the way to make sure everyone knows what to do.

“We’ll set them up so they can understand how to follow the exercise,” Ryan said. “They’ll be able to see the instructor and ask questions, and they’ll be exercising at same time as other veterans in their own homes.”

After 12 weeks, participants will return to the VA in Baltimore for several follow-up visits. Compensation for their time and travel is available.

Who is eligible

Veterans who are 50 to 85 years old and who have had Covid are eligible if they also have two of the following conditions: high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They’re also eligible if they have only one of those conditions but also have a body mass index over 30.

The BOOST study is one of the first studies focused on rehabilitation after Covid. Veterans who participate in the BOOST study will be helping researchers find the best way to help others recover after an infection.

“There are known gaps in how people recover from Covid in terms of their cardiovascular fitness. We’re trying to tailor an effective rehabilitation strategy,” Ryan said.

For more information or to sign up for the BOOST study, call (443) 354-2223.