Who Is Most Likely to Get Long Covid?

Long Covid is the name for the ill effects that someone can experience after having contracted the virus, in the weeks or even months after. Still not fully understood, it can manifest itself in symptoms of insomnia, headaches, changes to taste or smell, brain fog, problems with digestion and respiratory systems and much more.

But who is getting long Covid? According to data collected by the Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 17.9 percent of U.S. adults said they have had long Covid at some point. Women were significantly more likely to have had it, with a 21.8 percent positive response rate versus only 13.9 percent for men. As our chart shows, the age group of 40 to 49-year-olds, followed by 50 to 59-year-olds, were also more likely to have experienced the symptoms.

The survey also revealed a snapshot of who has long Covid in the U.S. right now. Between August 20 and September 16 of last year, 5.3 percent of U.S. adults said they were experiencing long Covid. The data mirrors the wider scope shown in our chart, with women showing higher rates than men, with 6.8 percent of U.S. adults versus 3.7 percent, respectively. The 40-49 year olds again had the highest share, this time of 7.0 percent, followed by 6.6 percent of people aged 50-59 and 5.2 percent of 18-29 year olds.

The data also shows Hispanic or Latino communities are also more likely to have experienced long Covid, accounting for 20.3 percent out of all U.S. adults that have ever had long Covid symptoms, which is above the national average of 17.9 percent. The figure for the “non-Hispanic, other races and multiple races” was also higher at 22.5 percent, as of the latest survey wave. 

According to news site Stat, researchers and health care clinics say any disparities in the treatment of long Covid could be for similar reasons that caused certain racial and ethnic groups to have experienced higher infection rates and illness severity, stating: “Many vulnerable communities lack access to quality care, or face heightened burdens to convince providers that their conditions are real.”