Survey: Nearly 1-in-5 Texans who’ve had COVID have 'long COVID'

'[Long COVID is] defined as symptoms lasting three or more months after first contracting the virus, and that they didn’t have prior to their COVID-19 infection,' the CDC wrote in an analysis of the survey

In Texas, more than two of every five adults (42.3%) said they have tested positive for COVID-19 at some point since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Texas, more than two of every five adults (42.3%) said they have tested positive for COVID-19 at some point since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

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In Texas, more than two of every five adults (42.3%) said they have tested positive for COVID-19 at some point since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Pulse Survey of more than 62,000 people. Of those who have tested positive, close to one-fifth said they are currently experiencing symptoms of “long COVID” (18.5%). 

“[Long COVID is] defined as symptoms lasting three or more months after first contracting the virus, and that they didn’t have prior to their COVID-19 infection,” the CDC wrote in an analysis of the survey.  

Of the entire Texas population, 7.8% of adults said they are currently experiencing long COVID symptoms, the survey shows. That’s equal to more than 2.3 million Texans currently experiencing symptoms they didn’t have before contracting COVID, which is about the size of Houston, the Lone Star State’s largest city. 

Furthermore, the survey shows that one-third of Texans who said they have tested positive for COVID have had long COVID symptoms at some point, although they may not be experiencing symptoms now. 

Nationwide, 40.3% of U.S. adults said they have tested positive for COVID-19 and 18.9% of those respondents said they are currently experiencing symptoms of long COVID, according to the survey. Of all U.S. adults, 7.5%, or more than 24.8 million people, said they are currently experiencing long COVID symptoms. 

New York is the state with the highest percentage of the population saying they have tested positive for COVID-19 at some point with 46.8% while Vermont is the lowest with 30.9%, the survey data shows. In Kentucky, more than one-in-ten of all adults are experiencing long COVID symptoms (12.7%), the largest percentage of any state. Hawaii is the state with the lowest percentage of adults with long COVID at 4.5%.