Long COVID Prevalence Plateaus in U.S. Adults, Study Finds

Long COVID continues to affect millions of U.S. adults, but new data from the National Health Interview Survey shows the trend has plateaued.

Analyzing nearly 89,000 adults from 2022 to 2024, researchers found that ever having long COVID rose from 7% in 2022 to 8.4% in 2023, then held steady at 8.3% in 2024. Current long COVID remained largely unchanged, hovering around 3.4%.

Among those with a prior COVID infection, the risk has actually dropped-ever long COVID fell from 17.7% in 2022 to 13.7% in 2024. But with new infections still circulating, the overall population burden remains significant.

Disparities persist. Women, adults aged 35-64, Hispanic and White individuals, and those with lower income or education reported higher rates. Among those with current long COVID in 2023 and 2024, nearly half said daily activities were limited a little, while one in five reported being limited a lot.

The findings, published in Frontiers in Public Health, underscore long COVID as an ongoing clinical and public health concern rather than a resolved issue.