Although the existing knowledge of long COVID-19 remains limited, as more data becomes available some patterns are beginning to emerge that can help provide some perspective on the road. Studies indicate that, overall, the Latin population is more likely to fight against the persistent effects of COVID-19 than other populations in the USA. This inequality in long COVID is similar to other outcomes that Latinos have been disproportionately facing over the course of the pandemic. In fact, some estimates suggest that Latinos are more than twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than white Americans.

A Brookings institute blog post summarizes the original research findings presented during a collaborative panel focused on the economic consequences associated with long COVID for Latino families in the United States.  The survey of 1,300 Latino parents and primary caregivers sponsored by “Abriendo Puertas/OpeningDoors” and “UnidosUS” allowed the exploration of internal variation in experiences with long COVID among families.

Because Latinos often face important inequalities, they represent a key sub-group for understanding the toll of long COVID. A statewide survey of Latinos in Colorado identified that nearly one-fourth (23%) of Latinos in that state are suffering from long-term COVID symptoms. One of the most important findings from this study is that Latino parents are three times as likely to suffer from long-term COVID symptoms relative to Latinos without children (23% compared to 7%). This finding suggests that Latino families are particularly vulnerable to economic challenges associated with long COVID and motivates the deeper investigation of Latino families taken during the webinar”.

According to the publication, and the entire general population of Latin families, there were some trends:

First, Latinos who report that their personal financial situation has gotten better over the past year are twice as likely to report that they are personally dealing with long COVID (18% compared to 9% respectively) than families whose financial situation has gotten worse, and three times as likely as families whose financial situation has stayed the same (18% compared to 6%).

Second, there is an interesting pattern in the data in regard to acculturation. Latinos who are born in the United States (+5%) and who predominantly speak English (+10%) are more likely to report facing challenges with long COVID relative to their foreign-born and Spanish-dominant counterparts.

Third, long COVID is having lasting and negative financial impacts on Latino families. The survey also included a follow-up question for those who are experiencing long COVID symptoms to help assess how this challenge is impacting the financial well-being of Latino families. The numbers in the figure below are staggering. Among those who are either personally experiencing long COVID or have children, 22% report that they have lost their job specifically as a result of the challenges from long-term COVID symptoms, and a third (33%) have lost wages because of missed work. More than a third of Latino families (36%) have depleted their savings to pay for health care costs associated with long COVID, and 9% report that their children have not been able to participate in early childhood education programming or any athletic activities because of their symptoms.

Fourth, the economic hardships associated with long COVID are more pronounced among specific sub-groups of the Latino population struggling with the disease. Gender has a marked impact on the economic challenges associated with long COVID. Although Latinas are slightly less likely than Latino males to report that they are facing lingering COVID-19 symptoms, they are much more likely to face economic challenges due to these symptoms. In fact, of the seven economic hardship questions posed to respondents, Latinas suffered more economically than Latino males in all but one area.

24% of Latinas were more likely to have lost their job (+6% relative to Latino men).

36% of Latinas lost wages due to missing work (+7% relative to Latino men).

37% of Latinas depleted their savings to pay for health care costs (+2%).

“Not surprisingly, the direct health impact of long COVID and economic challenges associated with these lingering symptoms are generating high levels of stress among Latino families who are already taxed from the past two years of the pandemic. For example, 24% of respondents report that they are in danger of losing their job due to missed work and 21% are not able to exercise as much as they are used to—a recommended activity to help address mental health challenges. Nearly 30% report that long COVID has negatively impacted their quality of life and led them to be depressed”.

The findings of the Latino Policy Forum report, also used in Brooking’s publication, together with the results of the research “Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors” and “UnidosUS”, suggested the recommendation of researchers in the prioritization of political goals that are referenced in the same publication.  In addition, they note that the implementation of any policies should be accompanied by an explicit commitment to ensure that Latinos receive a fair share of the resources made available to support the economic recovery.