By the end of 2022, 1 in 7 people in the United States said they had long COVID, a new study published in PLoS ONE on Thursday showed.
The team looked at self-reported data from 461,550 people that was gathered from June to December 2022. The researchers compared people who said they never had COVID-19, those who did have COVID-19 and had lingering symptoms, those who had COVID-19 without lingering symptoms, and people who already had long COVID. Long COVID was defined as having symptoms at least three months after getting the original infection.
The data showed that 47% of people surveyed said they had COVID-19, and 14% had long COVID at some point. Of the respondents, 7% still had long COVID symptoms when they responded to the survey. Upon further analysis, the scientists found that 1 in 3 people who had COVID-19 could go on to develop long COVID.
People who didn’t have long COVID were more likely to have anxiety, depression, worry or a lack of interest in things, as well as mobility problems and difficulty dressing and bathing. Long COVID was linked with self-reported memory or concentration problems as well as communication issues.
Long COVID was more common in people who had severe COVID-19; in fact, 31% who said they had long COVID reported severe COVID-19 compared to 7% of people who had COVID-19 but not long COVID, the data showed.
“Here, we have found that long COVID continues to affect millions of people in the US, with some groups much more affected than others. Those who have ever had long COVID remain more likely to report low mood, challenges in carrying out daily tasks, and challenges with memory, concentration and understanding, compared to people who have never had long Covid,” the authors said.
Long COVID is linked to anxiety, low mood, mobility issues, memory problems and more, the authors found. Those who were vaccinated seemed to have a lower risk for anxiety and low mood, the researchers noted.
