More than 3,500 people have died from long COVID-19 in the United States, accounting for about .3% of all coronavirus deaths, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the tally is likely an undercount, health experts say it marks the first official report looking at long COVID mortality.
But what the report doesn’t capture is how the post-COVID condition can rob lives without being fatal, said Dr. David Putrino, director of Rehabilitation Innovation and Abilities Research Center at the Mount Sinai Health System.
“Many people with long COVID are extremely disabled as a result of their illness,” he said. “I very much hope that these data are not being taken in any way to measure the severity of Long COVID.”
Who is dying from long COVID?
Researchers analyzed COVID-19 death certificate data from January 2020 to June 2022, looking for long COVID key terms along with the official mortality code for a COVID-related death.
- They identified 3,544 deaths mentioning one or more of the several key terms plus the mortality code.
- Deaths from long COVID peaked in June 2021 and again in April 2022.
- 67.5% of long COVID deaths listed “COVID-19” as an underlying cause.
- Long COVID deaths were similar between men and women at 51.5% and 48.5%, respectively.
- Long COVID deaths were highest among people aged 75 to 84 (28.8%), followed by people aged 85 and older (28.1%).
What the report fails to show
The report may have failed to capture other deaths associated with long COVID because an official mortality code for death certificates wasn’t used, health experts say. Putrino said this could include:
- Suicides: Young and previously healthy Americans devastated by the debilitating effects of long COVID who chose to die by suicide.
- Cardiovascular events: In some cases, long COVID ravages the cardiovascular system, which could to a heart attack or stroke. Death certificates may have been coded to reflect a cardiovascular event but not COVID-19.
“I fully understand that we have to start somewhere in counting these numbers but I hope this isn’t the start and end of the investigation of long COVID-related deaths,” Putrino said. “There’s a whole number of ways that these numbers are not reflecting the truth and are only really scratching the surface.”
COVID-19 deaths vs. long COVID deaths
Previous research shows the coronavirus disproportionately impacted people of color during the pandemic, leading to more deaths among racially and ethnically diverse communities.
However, the CDC’s report showed a different story for long COVID deaths.
- Rates for COVID-19 deaths were highest among patients who were Black, Hispanic people, or American Indian or Alaska Native.
- But the majority of long COVID deaths occurred among white people accounting for more than 78% of deaths, followed by Black people at more than 10%.
“These differences may be due to higher mortality among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations, resulting in fewer COVID-19 survivors left to experience long COVID conditions,” study authors said.
Long COVID symptoms
The most dominating symptom of long COVID is fatigue and exercise intolerance, said Dr. Joseph Parrillo, professor of cardiology and medicine at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in New Jersey.
But there can also be a myriad of symptoms that affect almost every organ of the body, Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said during an event Thursday.
- Neurologic: Headaches, lack of sleep, “brain fog”
- Pulmonary: Cough, shortness of breath
- Mobility: Fatigue, exercise intolerance
- Cardiovascular: Chest pain, palpitations
- Mental health: PTSD, anxiety, depression
- Digestive: abdominal pain, loss of appetite
- General: Weight loss, general pain, muscle pain
Although the “vast majority of cases are nonfatal,” Putrino said it’s important people suffering from long COVID symptoms get evaluated to make sure their organs weren’t severely affected by the virus.
Health experts also urge people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as studies show the vaccine reduces the risk of developing long COVID. They also encourage infected patients who may be older or immunocompromised to seek early treatment to prevent developing severe illness, which has been linked with long COVID.
“It’s important that we count these numbers but it’s important that we do not use these numbers as a proxy for how serious long COVID is as a problem,” Putrino said. “Death is not the only way that COVID can take your life away.”
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Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
