TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma leads the country in long Covid, having the highest rate of adults suffering from it.
That's according to data from the latest U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.
Dr. Jason Lepak from Ascension Medical Group St. John defined it as, “Long Covid is, [a] long time after you've had the illness and you've recovered from the acute things and immediate things, and you're developing many long-term complications and consequences from Covid.”
Researchers have gradually learned more about it. Some things, however, they don't know yet. Even still, long Covid is hard to diagnose.
Lepak told 2 News Oklahoma, "It can be chronic lung conditions, weakness, fatigue, vascular disease — many different problems, even a longer brain fog. So, it's a whole constellation of different symptoms that is different by individual, but clearly is associated with having the Covid illness previously."
"It can manifest differently in different people, and some people never get it, and they fully recover," Lepak also said. "But we've clearly seen this group of individuals who had Covid and then they've had symptoms of a variety of other problems that have existed well beyond when they should have normally recovered."
Most people who come down with Covid-19 symptoms are back on their feet within a week or two. However, the Household Pulse Survey in November found nearly a quarter (24.4%) of American adults who got Covid-19 reported symptoms lasting three months or longer.
That's about one third (34.1%) in Oklahoma, the highest rate of any state.
The survey demonstrates long Covid having a real-world impact.
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A guide from HelpAdvisor about the survey cites one 2022 study showing long Covid possibly keeping up to 3.7 million people out of work. It references another 2022 study that found long Covid cost the U.S. economy nearly four trillion dollars, 17% of the 2019 U.S. gross domestic product.
The survey also found long Covid is also impacting the day-to-day life of these people, saying 31.1% percent of U.S. adults who reported having it said their symptoms lowered "their ability to carry out daily activities."
At 29.5%, the Sooner State fell slightly below the national average, putting it 35th place.
If you or anybody you know suffers from long Covid or symptoms of it, Lepak said, “Don’t just suffer at home. Go ahead and seek attention first by your primary care physician, and if they can't take care of you long term for that, they may refer you out either to a sub-specialist or to a couple of physicians in the community who deal specifically with patients who suffer with long Covid.”
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