Long Covid is affecting women more than men, national survey finds

Long Covid is more common among women than men, according to federal data.

More than 17% of women have had long Covid at some point during the pandemic, compared with 11% of men, according to data from U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Health Statistics published this month.

Long Covid was defined as experiencing symptoms for three months or more after infection. The most recent data was collected through an online survey of more than 41,000 adults during the two weeks ending Oct. 17.

Women were also more likely to suffer from more severe long Covid, the survey found. Some 2.4% of all women had symptoms that significantly limited their normal activities, compared with 1.3% of men, according to the data.

Overall, more than 14% of U.S. adults had long Covid at some point during the pandemic, the survey found. Seven percent of U.S. adults currently have long Covid, according to the data.

If those figures held true for the general population, 36 million adults could have had long Covid at some point during the pandemic, while 18 million could currently be dealing with it.

About 2% of adults in the U.S. have suffered from more severe long Covid symptoms that significantly limited their daily activities, according to the data. That would be equivalent to more than 5 million people in the general U.S. adult population.

The Brookings Institution, in a separate analysis, found that as many as 4 million people in the U.S. are unable to work due to long Covid.