A new study carried out by researchers at the University College of London and Dartmouth has suggested that 14 percent of people in the United States had long Covid until the end of 2022, with vaccinated people less likely to suffer from anxiety and low mood.
The findings published in the journal PLOS ONE revealed that long Covid, among unvaccinated people, is associated with anxiety and low mood, as well as an increased likelihood of continued physical mobility problems and challenges with memory and concentration.
Research involving 462,000 people
“Little is known about long Covid and its impact on health and wellbeing, but there is a growing body of evidence that many people experience persistent and concerning symptoms,” said Professor Alex Bryson from the UCL Research Institute, who is also the co-author of the study.
Researchers made this conclusion after analyzing data from 461,550 people who responded to the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from June to December 2022.
During the study, researchers compared the health status of people who said they had never had Covid-19, with people who said they had Covid and participants who said they had Covid, but did not had any symptoms.
One in three people who contract Covid will have long Covid symptoms
Researchers found that 47 percent of people surveyed reported having had Covid-19 at some point. Some 14 percent of the total had had long Covid at some point, while half of them opined that they still had symptoms of the pandemic while answering the survey.
Researchers also revealed that one in three people who contract Covid-19 may end up with long Covid symptoms.
Bryson added: “Here, we have found that long Covid continues to affect millions of people in the US, with some groups much more affected than others. Those who have ever had long Covid remain more likely to report low mood, challenges in carrying out daily tasks, and challenges with memory, concentration and understanding, compared to people who have never had long Covid.”
