Patterns of Long COVID Incidence Over Time, Demographics, and Geography in Relation to SARS-CoV-2 Variant Development: Analysis from the Texas All-Payer Claims Database (TX-APCD)

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The paper cites estimates that Long COVID affects 10%–30% of individuals with COVID-19, representing approximately 400 million people worldwide. These are background estimates, not findings from this study.
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Population-level Long COVID surveillance remains limited. Much existing evidence relies on surveys or self-reported outcomes, while information on documented diagnoses and healthcare utilization remains fragmented.
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The Texas All-Payer Claims Database (TX-APCD) includes multiple payer types across all 254 Texas counties and covers approximately 60% of insured Texans.
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The study analyzed claims from October 2021 through October 2023 to examine temporal, demographic, and geographic patterns of documented Long COVID across SARS-CoV-2 variant-dominated periods.
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Long COVID was identified using ICD-10-CM code U09.9, counting each person’s first diagnosis. All identified individuals had a documented COVID-19 encounter; none were excluded for lacking a prior record.

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