How licensing barriers worsen health-care worker shortages - Policy Options

More than one in 10 US adults reported that a preexisting health condition or concern got worse following a COVID-19 infection, according to a survey published last week on the preprint server medRxiv. Participants who reported worsening preexisting conditions also said they experienced challenges managing symptoms, completing daily activities, and accessing care. Long COVID is often described as new-onset symptoms that follow a COVID infection, but the condition also includes exacerbation of preexisting conditions. For the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers led by a team from Eagle Global Scientific in Huntsville, Alabama, analyzed data from 2,227 adults who completed health questionnaires three, six, and 12 months after having COVID. Participants hailed from Arizona, Indiana, the Bronx, and north and northeastern Philadelphia, and data were collected from July 2023 to January 2025. Roughly 94% of respondents reported having at least one underlying condition before contracting COVID. Worsening respiratory problems lead the listOf all the participants, 263 (11.8%) said COVID had made at least one health condition or concern worse.