Approximately one in four coronavirus patients develops long-term COVID-19 infection, according to a new study.
Most people who test positive for COVID-19 have symptoms that subside within one to two weeks, but some people continue to report symptoms three months after their initial positive test. , and may even develop new symptoms, which can last for months or months, further research shows. No matter how many years.
new research Help advisor released We analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey to examine the long-term incidence of COVID-19 among U.S. adults.
The study showed that 24.4% of American adults who tested positive for COVID-19 experienced symptoms that lasted more than three months.
Twenty-seven states reported rates higher than the national average. In Oklahoma, 34.1% of people who contracted COVID-19 reported long-term symptoms of the coronavirus, the highest rate of any state.
People in Vermont and Washington, D.C., reported the lowest rate of developing long-term COVID-19 infections, at just 16.5%.
New York state was slightly below the national average at 21.6%, and New York City was even lower, with 20.6% reporting long-term symptoms.
Among people who have had COVID-19 for an extended period of time, 31% of Americans say their symptoms have impaired their ability to carry out daily activities.
However, 28 states reported high rates of struggling to maintain daily activities. In Hawaii, 50.8% of adults with long-term COVID-19 reported that it affected their daily life.
Some people may have COVID-19 for a long time as a persistent cough or consistent fatigue, while others report symptoms severe enough to be hospitalized for an extended period of time.
One woman even requested assisted suicide, claiming that her prolonged and grueling battle with COVID-19 had robbed her of her savings, the ability to get out of bed and the simple joys of life.
Previous studies have found that long-term COVID-19 infections are more common and severe in patients who were infected before the 2021 Omicron variant and who were unvaccinated or reinfected. The definitive symptoms are listed below.
- Post-exercise fatigue (debilitating fatigue that worsens after physical or mental activity)
- Malaise
- forgetfulness
- dizzy
- gastrointestinal symptoms
- palpitations
- Problems with sexual desire or ability
- loss of smell or taste
- thirst
- chronic cough
- chest pain
- abnormal movement
But experts continue to call for more research to better understand the impact of the virus.
“Americans who have been living with COVID-19 for so long want to understand what is happening to their bodies,” said Dr. Rachel L. Levine, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health.
