Employment and material hardship among adults with long COVID in December 2022 Karpman, Michael, author. Fiol, Olivia, author. Popkin, Susan J., author. McCorkell, Lisa, author. Waxman, Elaine, author. Morriss, Sarah (Of Urban Institute), author. Employment -- statistics & numerical data Financial Stress Health Equity -- economics Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Social Determinants of Health Long COVID, also referred to as post-COVID-19 condition, is a multisystemic condition, sometimes involving severe symptoms like chest pains, cough, cognitive impairment, memory loss, fatigue, post-exertional malaise, shortness of breath, and muscle and joint pain. The US Department of Health and Human Services developed a working definition of long COVID as signs, symptoms, and conditions that are present a minimum of four weeks after initial infection; may be multisystemic; and may present with a relapsing–remitting pattern and progression or worsening over time. Though estimates of the number of people with long COVID vary, the condition affects at least 1 in 10 people who have had a COVID-19 infection. This number is likely underestimated because of possible undocumented cases and inconsistent medical care. Studies conducted before March 2022 estimated that 10 to 30 percent of those infected, or between 7.7 million and 23 million people in the US, developed long-term symptoms. While people of all backgrounds are at risk of developing long COVID, people may be at greater risk if they are female, age 40 or older, have preexisting chronic health conditions, have a more severe infection (e.g., hospitalization, intensive care), or have not had a COVID-19 vaccination. Surveys have also found a higher prevalence of long COVID among Hispanic/Latinx adults and those with lower educational attainment and income. Evidence on effective treatments for long COVID remains limited, and many patients have faced barriers to care in their encounters with the health system. Long COVID can affect many aspects of a person’s life, including their ability to work and afford to meet their basic needs, which can affect their recovery and long-term health and well-being. In this brief, we examine experiences with long COVID related to employment and material hardship among participants in the December 2022 round of the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS), a nationally representative survey of more than 7,500 adults ages 18 to 64. Washington, DC : Urban Institute, July 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issuing body. Urban Institute, issuing body. Technical Report Text Illustrations 1 online resource (1 PDF file (15 pages)) nlm:nlmuid-9918697486406676-pdf 9918697486406676 http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918697486406676 English United States Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0