The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 1 in 13 Americans (7.5%, or nearly 26 million) have had or still have long COVID, a condition characterized by lingering symptoms more than 3 months after a COVID-19 infection. Other estimates range from around 10% to 20%, according to the World Health Organization, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, and research from the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego. However, some experts suggest that the actual number of Americans with long COVID is much higher, due to a lack of consensus on the definition of the condition. Despite the debate, experts agree that long COVID symptoms can be debilitating and can last for months or even longer, with fatigue, brain fog, memory and sleep issues, shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, dizziness, and joint or muscle pain among the most common.
Research into long COVID is hindered by numerous factors, including a lack of standard diagnostic criteria or tools, limited access to testing, the absence of a control group in some studies, and self-reported surveys that can be rife with inaccuracies and biases. Additionally, the narrative that the pandemic is over may lead to people missing mild cases of COVID, and the subsequent appearance of long COVID. As the pandemic enters its fourth year, experts urge for long COVID to be considered a higher public health priority, and for more funding for studying diagnostic biomarkers and finding effective therapies.