Four years after SARS-CoV-2 first appeared, researchers still struggle to understand the long history of COVID, including the simple question of how many people have it. Estimates of prevalence vary widely based on different study methods and definitions of the condition. Now, for the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has attempted to estimate the prevalence among adults in each US state and territory. The results again show a wide range of distribution estimates, showing which states are most affected and which appear to be relatively protected.
Overall, the CDC found seven states in the South, West, and Midwest had the highest prevalence of COVID-19 in the nation, between 8.9 percent and 10.6 percent: Alabama, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wyoming, and, the highest prevalence at 10.6 percent. , West Virginia. The results are published today in CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
At the other end of the scale, the New England states, Washington and Oregon had the lowest prevalence rates, between 3.7 percent and 5.3 percent. The lowest rate was seen in the US Virgin Islands at 1.9 percent. Washington, D.C. and Guam had regions between 1.9 percent and 3.6 percent.
Prevalence of long-term covid experience among adults aged ≥18 years at trial.
For these estimates, CDC researchers defined long-term Covid cases as those with any self-reported symptoms lasting 3 or more months before contracting Covid-19. These symptoms can include a wide range of ailments, from gastrointestinal problems to heart palpitations, joint pain, respiratory symptoms, neurological conditions, and fatigue.
The estimates are based on survey responses from the National Surveillance System through 2022. The study did not include some important data, including whether people had treatment during the acute phase of their Covid-19 infection, how long it had been since they had been infected, the length of their long-lasting (if not persistent) Covid and vaccination status. Vaccination data are available only from the cohort of people who took the study and were not included in the report.
The authors hope the findings “will help identify geographic disparities in prolonged COVID across the United States that can guide interventions to promote health equity.”