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Long COVID: More Than Just Lingering Symptoms, It Can Be Deadly

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By Dr. Sandip Roy,



Key Points:

  • Over 5,000 Americans have died from long-COVID, according to new CDC estimates.
  • Long-COVID can contribute to serious, life-threatening conditions even months or years after an initial infection.
  • The risk of fatal long COVID is higher for older adults, certain races and ethnicities, and those with severe acute infections.
  • Undercounting is likely due to a lack of standardized diagnosis and reporting guidelines.
  • An accurate test for long-COVID could dramatically improve fatality tracking and treatment.

Pic source: Post-COVID (Long Covid) Resources | Northampton, MA

Details:
  • While COVID-19 deaths alone exceed 1 million in the US, long COVID claims additional lives.
  • Long COVID, with its debilitating symptoms and lack of diagnosis or treatment, is increasingly recognized as a public health threat.
  • COVID-19 was the third leading cause of American deaths in 2020 and 2021, and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States in 2023.
  • Half of long COVID fatalities from July 2021 to June 2022 occurred in people aged 65 years and older, and another 23% were recorded among people aged 50-64 years old, according to a report from CDC.
  • The CDC data shows nearly 1% of COVID-related deaths are attributed to long COVID.
  • Risk factors for fatal long COVID include age, race/ethnicity, and severity of initial infection.
  • Disparities in healthcare access may contribute to the undercounting of long COVID deaths in certain populations.
  • Difficulty in distinguishing between long COVID and acute infection deaths adds to the challenge.
  • The development of a long COVID test could revolutionize diagnosis, fatality tracking, and treatment.

Overall:

There are serious dangers of long COVID, beyond its debilitating symptoms. The potential for fatal complications and the need for improved diagnosis and tracking are concerning.

Still, efforts like standardized reporting guidelines and potential blood tests offer hope for better management of this growing public health challenge.

Source: Long COVID Has Caused Thousands of US Deaths: New CDC Data - Medscape - January 03, 2024.

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