Understanding and Addressing Long COVID

Last updated November 22, 2022

Authors:

CEPR: Shawn Fremstad, Julia Godfrey, and Hayley Brown

CPCC: Chenelle Hammonds and Alan Barber


Executive Summary

Key Findings

  • Commonly reported symptoms of Long COVID include difficulty concentrating or thinking, difficulty breathing, fatigue that interferes with daily life, post-exertional malaise, and muscle and joint pain. 

  • Long COVID is similar in various respects to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), an often-disabling illness. If research on ME/CFS had been better funded in the past, the U.S. would be in a better position today to address Long COVID.

  • According to a May 2022 GAO report, 10 to 30 percent of COVID-19 survivors develop Long COVID. Subsequent research is generally consistent with this range. 

  • The Census Bureau added questions about post-COVID conditions to the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) in June 2022. Between September and October of 2022, about 7.1 percent of all U.S. adults reported currently having one or more symptoms lasting three months or longer that they did not have prior to having COVID-19.

  • In September 2022, Census added a question to the HPS about disabilities (activity limitations) due to Long COVID. Responses to this question suggest that over 14 million US adults are disabled due to Long COVID, with 4.5 million reporting symptoms that interfere with daily activities “a lot”. 

  • In the monthly Current Population Survey, the number of prime working-age adults reporting disabilities in at least one of six categories has spiked in the aftermath of the initial COVID-19 crisis. The largest single increase is due to people reporting difficulties concentrating or remembering (cognitive difficulties).

  • About 1.5 million Americans had ME/CFS prior to COVID-19. Total ME/CFS prevalence could rise to over 5 million people due to COVID-19 and Long COVID.  

  • The body of research on the labor market impacts of Long COVID on US workers is relatively limited, but growing. Recent analyses suggest about 500,000 people are out of the labor force due to Long COVID.