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Most people with long COVID have trouble performing daily tasks, the CDC says.
That’s four of five adults with ongoing symptoms lasting at least three months, the CDC says.
And another 25% say their limitations are significant.
The report was published Wednesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Some people who get COVID-19 have lingering symptoms for weeks or months after they begin to recover – 15% of adults, the CDC data show. Experts don’t know why some people get long COVID. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, brain fog, sleep issues, and joint pain.
Among long COVID patients, those who had the most trouble performing daily tasks were 86.3% of adults age 18 to 29, while the lowest difficulty was reported by 76.1% of adults between ages 40 to 49.
Adults under 60 were more likely to say they had long COVID than older people, and women more likely than men.
Along racial lines, Blacks were most likely to report problems with day-to-day activities, at 84.1%. Asians had the smallest with 76.7%.
ABC News said a review from Johnson & Johnson’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer for Women’s Health published in June 2022 found women are 22% more likely to develop long COVID than men.
U.S. News & World Report said more than 18 million adult Americans have symptoms of long COVID, and 15 million have problems with daily tasks because of it.
“With the U.S. facing a potential fall and winter wave of COVID-19, the number of Americans experiencing long COVID is expected to grow,” U.S. News said. “While estimates of the prevalence and effects of long COVID vary, the high numbers signal that the condition will be a lasting challenge for public health policy and the economy.”
Sources
CDC: “Long COVID.”
ABC News: “4 out of 5 people with long COVID have trouble performing day-to-day activities: CDC.”
U.S. News & World Report: “CDC: Majority of Adults with Long COVID-19 Report Trouble Performing Daily Activities.”
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