Tens of thousands of New Yorkers — including «Orange is the New Black» actor Matt McGorry — suffer from «long COVID» five years after the deadly once-in-a-century pandemic hit, shocking new data reveal.
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers — including “Orange is the New Black” actor Matt McGorry — suffer from “long COVID” five years after the deadly once-in-a-century pandemic hit, shocking new data reveal.
“My actual daily survival is based on understanding and navigating [it],” said McGorry, a 39-year-old Manhattan native, who was part of a recent online city Department of Health series about the issue.
A COVID and flu vaccination campaign conducted by the Health Department over the past year referred 21,805 residents to receive long-COVID-specific services during medical check-ups and outreach programs.
The department also is conducting an ongoing study of residents who have had COVID-19.
Preliminary results from the study so far indicate that more than one in four of the adults has experienced long-term symptoms, meeting the definition for long COVID.
More than 80% of those with long COVID reported limitations in daily functioning, and more than 25% said they experienced employment changes because of related medical issues.
An estimated 500,000 residents had lingering COVID-impacted illnesses that interfered with daily life in 2023, the department said.
