Nearly 250K SC adults have long COVID, CDC says. What to know about the condition
More than 248,000 South Carolinians are currently experiencing some form of long COVID, a recent federal survey estimates.
As of January, 6.2% of all South Carolina adults have long COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That percentage equates to almost a quarter of million people, based on U.S. Census data that reports there are approximately 4.01 million South Carolinians over 18 years old.
While many who contract the virus that causes COVID only have to deal with it for a relatively brief period, long COVID is a condition that can cause long-term effects that last weeks, months or even years, the CDC says.
Here are a few highlights from the latest CDC survey.
- The 6.2% rate places South Carolina 26th among states with highest number of all U.S. adults currently with long COVID.
- As of January, of the percentage of South Carolina adults who have ever had COVID, 11.7% are currently experiencing long COVID.
- With a rate of 15.4%, South Carolina ranks 25th among the states for highest rates of people who have ever had long COVID.
- Of the percentage of South Carolinian adults who currently have long COVID. 26.4% have had significant activity limitations.
- The five states with the highest rates of people who have ever had long COVID include Arkansas at 21.6%; Alabama at 18.1%; Tennessee at 18%; Utah at 18% and Kansas at 17.9%.
What is long COVID?
Long COVID, also referred to as post-COVID, can cause a wide range of symptoms that can last weeks, months or even years after infection — with those symptoms sometimes leaving and then returning again, the CDC states.
Also, long COVID may not affect everyone the same way. People may experience health problems from different types and combinations of symptoms happening over different lengths of time.
However, long COVID conditions are found more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness. And while most people with long COVID have evidence of previous COVID-19 infection, in some cases, a person with long COVID may not have tested positive for the virus or known they were infected, the CDC states.
Long COVID symptoms
- Fever
- Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort
- Difficulty breathing
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Fast-beating heart
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headache
- Dizziness when you stand up
- Sleep problems
- Change in smell or taste
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Joint or muscle pain
- Rash
- Change in menstrual cycles
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
