Around 17.6 million American adults are grappling with Long COVID, according to a recent survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The uptick comes as the CDC eases COVID-19 isolation guidelines, a decision that has divided experts.
The percentage of Americans with Long COVID now stands at 6.8% and has risen by 1.5% since the last estimate of 5.3% in October 2023. The rise follows the second-biggest surge of infections across the US this winter, in which some health facilities returned to mask and limited-visitation policies. The proportion of US adults currently experiencing Long COVID has not been this high since November 2022. Globally, around 65 million people are estimated to have Long COVID, but that is likely to be an underestimate.