Long COVID in the US: By the Numbers

Reports of previously healthy individuals experiencing lingering symptoms from an infection with SARS-CoV-2 started shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-COVID conditions, or long COVID, include a range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems that persons may experience after infection, including fatigue, headache, rash, and depression or anxiety. Any person who was previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 can experience long COVID, and symptoms can last anywhere from weeks to years afterward. It is not fully known which individuals or demographics are more likely to experience long COVID, and current estimates of the proportion of people who had COVID-19 that go on to experience long COVID vary, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a new report, researchers analyzed data from the US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey for the week November 2-14, 2022. The Household Pulse Survey is a 20-minute online survey assessing the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergent issues on households across the US. Researchers ranked demographics by the highest rate of respondents who received a positive COVID-19 test or diagnosis from a health care provider and reported having long COVID—defined for the purpose of the analysis as symptoms lasting ≥3 months. Key findings in the slides below.