Long COVID: Who Is Most Likely To Get It?

2023.12.27

The COVID-19 pandemic may no longer be a global public health emergency, but millions continue to struggle with the aftermath: Long COVID. New research and clinical anecdotes suggest that certain individuals are more likely to be afflicted by the condition, nearly 4 years after the virus emerged.

People with a history of allergies, anxiety or depression, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases and women are among those who appear more vulnerable to developing long COVID, said doctors who specialize in treating the condition. Read the full story here.

Inside a Long COVID Clinic's Fight to Meet Crushing Patient Needs

2023.11.17

Insufficient funding from state and federal health agencies towards long COVID has led to significant hurdles in patient care, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities, according to interviews and surveys with more than a dozen clinics, doctors, advocates, and patients. At the same time, a lack of training and education on long COVID within the broader medical community is also hurting patients. I explore these challenges through the experiences of one long COVID clinic at the University of Washington.. Read the full story here.

Three Years On, Why Don’t We Know the Extent of Long COVID?

2023.03.15

More than 3 years into the pandemic, finding out how many Americans have long COVID – and what to do about it – has proved to be far harder than identifying those infected with the virus who have recovered or died from it.

How best to simply define, diagnose, measure, and treat it have remained elusive, putting patients and doctors in an impossible situation. But what is clear is that even at the lowest estimates, the CDC said in June 2022 that 1 in 13 Americans (7.5%, or nearly 26 million) had long COVID.  But some research suggests that figure underestimates the actual number of Americans who are affected. Read the full story here.

Omicron Much Less Likely to Cause Long COVID, Study Finds

2023.03.10

Health care workers infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant were far less likely to experience significant long COVID symptoms than those who contracted the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to new research out of Switzerland. Read more here.

Inflammation and Immunity Troubles Top Long COVID Suspect List

2023.02.01

Nonstop inflammation and immune problems top the list of potential causes of long COVID, but doctors say it’s growing clear that more than one thing is to blame for the wide swath of often debilitating symptoms that could last months or even years. Many experts believe some combination of biological processes – including the virus hanging around in our bodies, inflammation, autoimmunity, tiny blood clots, immune system problems, and even the reactivation of dormant viruses, could be the culprit. Read the full story here.

Long COVID Risk Makes It Worth Avoiding Second Infections

2022.12.19

Alexander Truong, MD, has been seeing long COVID patients for more than 2 years but thought the numbers would have significantly dwindled by now. Instead, a steady flow of patients still shows up at the Emory Executive Park post-COVID clinic he and a colleague launched in fall 2020 in Atlanta. And among patients infected more than once, the symptoms appear worse.

COVID-19 is definitely not over, experts say, and each time someone gets infected, they risk developing long COVID. A prior infection does not erase the risk. Read the full story here.

'A Huge Deal': Millions Have Long COVID, and More Are Expected

2022.11.16

Roughly 7% of all adult Americans may currently have had long COVID, with symptoms that have lasted 3 months or longer, according to the latest U.S. government survey done in October. More than a quarter say their condition is severe enough to significantly limit their day-to-day activities – yet the problem is only barely starting to get the attention of employers, the health care system, and policymakers.

With no cure or treatment in sight, long COVID is already burdening not only the health care system, but also the economy – and that burden is set to grow. Many experts worry about the possible long-term ripple effects, from increased spending on medical care costs to lost wages due to not being able to work, as well as the policy implications that come with addressing these issues. Read the story here for a snapshot of how many people likely have long COVID in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, its impact, and what needs to be done, according to experts.