Burdens of Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 by Age, Race, Sex, and Health Status
Abstract The Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) have been characterized; however, the burden of PASC remains unknown. And whether the burden of individual sequela varies in different population groups is also not clear. Here we estimate that PASC — defined as the presence of at least one sequela in excess of non-infected controls — was 73.43 (72.10, 74.72) per 1000 persons at 6 months. The burden of PASC was 44.51 (43.09, 45.85), 217.08 (212.43, 222.23), and 360.16 (350.53, 369.38) among non-hospitalized, hospitalized, and those who required intensive care during the first 30-days of infection. Burdens of some sequelae were more pronounced in younger individuals, and some were more pronounced in older adults; the same picture was evident in analyses across race, and sex groups. The burden of individual sequela was consistently higher in people with poorer baseline health and increased in a graded fashion according to care setting of the acute infection. In sum, the burden of PASC is substantial; however, PASC is non-monolithic with sequelae that are differentially expressed in various population groups. Collectively, our results may be useful in informing health systems capacity planning and care strategies of people with PASC.