Long COVID to Blame for More Than 3,500 Deaths So Far, CDC Reports

By Alexander Tin

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 3,544 deaths through June 2022 that were previously counted as COVID-19 fatalities actually were related to long COVID. Researchers say that figure is likely an underestimate. Those deaths account for 0.3% of the more than 1 million COVID death certificates reviewed for the study. The researchers looked for links to "Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19," including terms like "chronic COVID," "long COVID," "long haul COVID," and "post COVID syndrome." About 80% of the long COVID deaths were among patients aged 75 to 84, and deaths were higher among men than women in every age group. COVID-19 was cited as the underlying cause of death for over two-thirds of deaths mentioning long COVID, followed by heart disease at 8.6. Federal guidance on how to report long COVID deaths has not been issued yet.

Read more on CBS News.