Long Covid

More than 1 in 3 Southerners who previously had Covid have suffered Long Covid symptoms. In KY, TN, and WV, it’s nearly 1 in 2.

Long Covid symptoms, June 1-13, 2022

Percent of adults who previously had Covid, with symptoms lasting 3 months or longer

Source: Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

One in three adults who previously had Covid have experienced prolonged symptoms, known as Long Covid.¹ Recent studies show that Long Covid largely affects immune and circulatory systems, as well as the brain and lungs.^2,3,4,5 This can result in additional sickness, exhaustion, brain fog, and shortness of breath. More than 40% of Covid survivors in 5 Southern states have reported Long Covid symptoms: 41.5% in LA, 44.2% in AL, 45.6% in KY, 45.9% in TN, and 49.3% in WV. With Covid cases beginning to increase across the nation in the week ending July 9,⁶ the number of people experiencing Long Covid symptoms will also increase.

While medical experts work to understand the causes, symptoms, and a cure for Long Covid, its potential impacts are concerning.⁷ Experts stress that access to primary care doctors, adequate health insurance, and disability coverage will be essential for patients who must navigate Long Covid.⁸ Too often, access to these critical supports differs by race and ethnicity. For example, 20% of nonelderly Hispanic individuals lacked health insurance in 2020 along with 12% of nonelderly Black individuals, but only 7% of nonelderly white individuals lacked insurance (Lack of Health Insurance, by Race). And because Long Covid is still poorly understood by the medical community, many patients are struggling to access needed disability benefits.⁹ As employers struggle to find workers, Long Covid could account for a sizable portion of unfilled jobs and, without better care, more people could fall out of the workforce and into poverty.¹⁰

1. “Long COVID: Household Pulse Survey”. CDC. June, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/long-covid.htm 

2. “Immunological dysfunction persists for 8 months following initial mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection”. Phetsouphanh, Darley, Wilson, Howe, Munier, Patel, Juno, Burrell, Kent, Dore, Kelleher, and Matthews. Nature Immunology. January, 2022. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-01113-x

3. “Persistent Exertional Intolerance After COVID-19, Insights From Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing”. Singh, Joseph, Heerdt, Cullinan, Lutchmansingh, Gulati,  Possick, Systrom, and Waxman. January, 2022. https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(21)03635-7/fulltext

4. “Nervous system consequences of COVID-19”. Spudich, Nath. Science.org. January, 2022. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm2052

5. “The Investigation of Pulmonary Abnormalities using Hyperpolarised Xenon Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Long-COVID”. Grist, Collier, Walters, Chen, Eid, Laws, Matthews, Jacob, Cross, Eves, Durant, Mcintyre, Thompson, Schulte, Raman, Robbins, Wild, Fraser, and Gleeson. MedRxiv. February, 2022. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.01.22269999v1

6. “Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count”. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=show&is_new=false 

7. “U.S. scientists enroll nearly 40,000 patients in high-stakes, $1.2 billion study of long Covid”. Kimball. CNBC. July, 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/long-covid-us-scientists-to-enroll-40000-in-1point2-billion-study-.html

8. “Living with COVID-19 will not be easy for many Americans suffering from long COVID-19, particularly those from diverse communities”. Sanchez, Gilbert, and Busette. Brookings. June, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2022/06/21/living-with-covid-19-will-not-be-easy-for-many-americans-suffering-from-long-covid-19-particularly-those-from-diverse-communities/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_medium=email&utm_content=217394132&utm_source=hs_email 

9. “Covid long-haulers face grueling fights for disability benefits”. Rowland. The Washington Post. March, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/03/08/long-covid-disability-benefits/

10. “Is ‘long Covid’ worsening the labor shortage?” Bach. Brookings. January, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/research/is-long-covid-worsening-the-labor-shortage/