Long-Term Symptoms Among Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 — United States, January 2020–April 2021

September 10, 2021

Valentine Wanga; Jennifer R. Chevinsky; Lina V. Dimitrov; Megan E. Gerdes; Geoffrey P. Whitfield; Robert A. Bonacci.

MMWR

This study compared the prevalence of long-term symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (lasting >4 weeks) among persons who reported ever receiving a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result (698) with the prevalence of similar symptoms among persons who reported ever receiving a negative test result (2437). Data were collected through an online survey administered by CDC to 6021 noninstitutionalized US adults aged ≥18 years between April 9 and April 23, 2021. The study found that the prevalence of long-term symptoms was higher among respondents (approximately two-thirds) who ever received a positive test result than among those who always received a negative test result, and that symptoms in these individuals tended to persist for >4 weeks. Approximately 50% of these symptoms were more likely to be reported among those who received a positive test result. Long-term symptoms included fatigue, change in sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath, cough, and persistence (> 4 weeks) of at least one symptom that was initially present. The authors recommend that health care professionals encourage vaccination and recognize the most common post-COVID conditions to optimize care for people with persistent symptoms.

Wanga V. Long-Term Symptoms Among Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 — United States, January 2020–April 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021; 70: 1235–41.

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