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Long-COVID is associated with increased absenteeism from work

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  • Jaewhan Kim
  • Sanghoon Lee
  • Peter Weir

Abstract

Long-COVID, defined as COVID-19 symptoms persisting for more than 3 months, may lead to persistent health issues requiring extensive medical care. Despite its long-term health impact, the economic impact of long-COVID remains understudied. This study examined whether individuals with long-COVID had more missed workdays compared to those without long-COVID. Adults (≥18 years old) with full-time jobs were identified from the 2022 Full-Year Population Characteristics file of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). A weighted two-part model was used to identify factors associated with missed workdays due to illness. The total population analyzed included 131,685,516 adults (unweighted n = 8,210), with an average (SD) age of 43 (14) years. Among them, 46% were female and 62% were non-Hispanic White. Approximately 7% of the population experienced long-COVID. Individuals with long-COVID reported an average of 8 days missed from work (SD: 12 days), while those without long-COVID reported an average of 4 days missed (SD: 9 days). The two-part model revealed that individuals with long-COVID had 2.54 more missed workdays compared to those without long-COVID (p

Suggested Citation

  • Jaewhan Kim & Sanghoon Lee & Peter Weir, 2025. "Long-COVID is associated with increased absenteeism from work," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(6), pages 1-11, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0325280
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325280
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