The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) published its 2024 Long COVID Update, highlighting the ongoing impact of long COVID on the state's workers’ comp system.

Using data from the WCIRB’s medical transaction database, the report found that long COVID remains significant, with around 30% of Californians who ever had long COVID reporting activity limitations, and higher prevalence in healthcare, manufacturing, and retail.

Key findings include:

• 1 in 7 or 15% of COVID claims with medical payments filed between April 2020 and July 2021 involved long COVID over a 30-month period
• 5% of all COVID-19 claims, including indemnity-only claims, involved long COVID.
• 40% of COVID-19 claims involving hospitalization resulted in long COVID
• Long COVID claims had higher indemnity and medical losses, largely due to increased permanent disability claims
• The health care industry has a higher than-average prevalence of long COVID since health care workers have more exposure and increased risk

The WCIRB will host a free webinar on October 30, 2024, at 10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time to discuss the report's findings and the long-term effects on disability and medical costs.