New analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that nearly 18 million US adults have experienced long COVID. Data gathered through the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of more than 17,400 adults found 8,275 had a history of COVID-19, and 1,202 reported long-COVID symptoms. Women (8.6%) were more likely than men (5.1%) to report long COVID, and adults aged 35 to 64 were more affected than other age groups. White and Hispanic adults reported higher rates of long COVID compared to Black and Asian adults. Those who received COVID-19 boosters had lower long-COVID rates (5.8%) compared to those with only the primary series (8.7%) or no vaccination (8.4%).Â
Unexpected finding: In general, those in low-income households usually have higher rates of chronic health conditions and comparatively poor health. However, AHRQ didn’t find significant differences in long COVID rates based on poverty or income status.