Long COVID Impacts Los Angeles County Residents; Three in Four Experience Limitations in Daily Activities

February 24, 2023 1:38 pm

1,418 New Positive Cases and 12 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Although fewer Los Angeles County residents are getting severely ill from COVID-19, many still feel its lingering effects with conditions, such as fatigue, chronic coughing, or brain fog, that may last for days, months or even years after initial infection.

Two separate studies confirm that a significant percentage of people have experienced COVID-19 symptoms for four weeks or more after the initial phase of infection, a condition commonly known as long COVID.

Symptoms of long COVID can include extreme tiredness, a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental exertion, difficulty breathing, chest pain, sleep problems, changes in taste and smell, depression and brain fog, a condition characterized by confusion, forgetfulness and lack of clarity or focus.

In a study conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) Pandemic Research Center in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), more than half of the residents who said they had tested positive for COVID-19 at some point during the pandemic also reported having symptoms consistent with long COVID.

Three out of four people who reported symptoms lasting four weeks or more also reported that long COVID symptoms had limited them in going about their daily activities, such as going to work or school, socializing with loved ones or taking care of their personal needs. Of those, 25% reported significant limitations.

The findings from this study, closely resembled the results of a similar long COVID study, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that surveyed California residents.

While healthy individuals, and those who only experienced mild COVID-19 illness can develop long COVID, the CDC identifies certain individuals at higher risk: people who had a more severe COVID-19 illness, especially if they were hospitalized or needed intensive care; people with underlying health conditions prior to getting infected; people who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine; and children who experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) during or after COVID-19 illness.

The best way to prevent long COVID is to avoid getting infected or reinfected. The bivalent booster has been shown to reduce the likelihood of a severe infection, in turn potentially lowering the risk of developing long COVID.

Individuals with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms or severe limitations in daily activities extending more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection, should contact their health care provider or a clinic specializing in Long-COVID recovery and rehabilitation.

The Public Health Call Center at 1-833-540-0473 also has well-trained staff who can answer questions about long COVID and provide a list of local clinics specializing in long COVID rehabilitation. The phone line is open seven days a week, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Currently, Los Angeles County remains in the CDC designated Low Community Level with a 7-day case rate of 69 new cases per 100,000 people, down slightly from the week prior. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is currently 7, also down slightly from 7.5 last week. And the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients remains at 3.9.

While the Low Community Level is encouraging, it remains important to still take practical steps to avoid infection, especially for people who are older, have underlying health conditions, or are at higher risk to develop long COVID.

Additional information about vaccines, testing and treatment may be found at VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (en español).

“As we acknowledge the terrible reality that over 100,000 California residents have died from COVID-19, I offer my sincere condolences to all who have lost loved ones during the pandemic and extend wishes of peace and healing,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “There is temptation to say the pandemic is ending, and for some this experience is very real. For others, they continue to feel the impact daily, whether it is living with the loss of a loved one, the economic toll of the pandemic, or the effects of long COVID. At Public Health, we have made a commitment to not leave these people behind.”

Today, Public Health reported 12 additional deaths and 1,418 new positive cases. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 35,642. There are 692 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

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