Is Long COVID Still a Risk?

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of reported cases of long COVID-19 has decreased over the last year, from 7.5% of adults in June of 2022 to 6% in June of 2023. That raises the question: Is long COVID still something you need to worry about if you're infected with coronavirus?

Because the data is new, limited, and mostly anecdotal, experts can't be sure. But they acknowledge more recent variants are linked to fewer long COVID cases.

"We don’t have great data on the rate of long COVID development and are just getting data on the burden of disease," Christian Sandrock, MD, MPH, division vice chair for internal medicine at U.C. Davis, told Verywell via email. He was not affiliated with the report. "However, we are seeing less referrals to a number of long COVID-based clinics and facilities."

Why Is Long COVID Decreasing? 

Experts think the decline of long COVID cases could be a combination of higher vaccine rates, milder variants of the COVID-19 virus, and an increase in the number of people who have recovered from long COVID.

Vaccination Status

A recent study of data gathered from patients at the Mayo Clinic found that symptoms of long COVID were reduced in people who contracted the virus after getting a COVID vaccine. 

Other studies have also shown reductions in reports of long COVID among people who completed their primary COVID vaccine series and received a booster.

"Two or more doses of vaccine given before infection with the COVID-19 virus showed significant reductions in the rates of long COVID,” Hector Fabio Bonilla, MD, clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford Medicine, told Verywell via email. "A similar result was less clear with only one dose of vaccine."

Antiviral Medication

The use of antiviral medication in the early stages of a COVID infection can also play a part in reducing the incidence of long COVID. According to Bonilla, monulpriravir, an antiviral given to patients with at least one severe COVID risk factor, shows a 16% reduction in long COVID. This was independent of vaccination status.

Bonilla added that Paxlovid, another popular antiviral used to treat high-risk individuals with COVID, showed a 26% reduction in long COVID independent of vaccination status.

Variant Type

The timeline of new COVID variants aligns with a decrease in reported instances of long COVID. For example, 42% of long COVID cases are linked to the original COVID variant, 32% to the Alpha variant, and 16% linked to Delta and Omicron variants.

"Data has implied that Omicron comes with less severity and possibly [results in] less long COVID,” Bonilla said.

How Is Long COVID Currently Treated?

According to Sandrock, treatment is still focused on managing the symptoms of long COVID. Doctors may prescribe medications such as:

• Beta blockers for autonomic dysfunction
• Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for brain fog and depression
• Acyclovir (anti-viral) for inhibiting inflammation response

Other treatment modalities for underlying symptoms associated with long COVID may include:

• Blood thinners 
• Steroids (for inflammation)
• Pain medications 
• Breathing exercises
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (for chronic fatigue)

Several government initiatives are underway to help better understand the long COVID itself.

In 2022, President Biden launched a National Research Action Plan on Long COVID to address the effects of long COVID on the American population.

The National Institutes of Health has also launched the federal RECOVER program to better understand why some people recover from COVID while others do not. RECOVER will focus on long COVID diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.