Colorado: Office of the Lieutenant Governor Releases 2026 Annual Report on Long COVID

DENVER — Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera released the fourth annual report on Long COVID in Colorado, synthesizing state-specific data, highlighting recent work, outlining next steps, providing recommendations, and sharing first-hand accounts from Coloradans living with Long COVID.

"Colorado continues to lead in addressing the long-term challenges of COVID-19 with a focus on equity, innovation, and impact," said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, who also serves as the Director of the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care. "This fourth annual report demonstrates our administration's steadfast commitment to a thoughtful, data-driven response to Long COVID—one that centers lived experience alongside science. Behind every data point is a person—and a family—navigating the lasting effects of this illness. Long COVID has disrupted education, employment, financial stability, and daily well-being for many Coloradans, and we remain dedicated to improving access to care, lowering health care costs, and achieving better outcomes for those facing these challenges."

House Bill 22-1401: Hospital Nurse Staffing Standards, sponsored by Senator Dominick Moreno and Representative Kyle Mullica, tasked the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care (OSPMHC) in the Office of the Lt. Governor with assessing the preparedness of the state's health system to respond to Long COVID, coordinating, monitoring, and supporting efforts to improve Colorado's response to Long COVID, and addressing its impact on health care affordability, health outcomes, and public health readiness in state initiatives and departments. Since beginning this work in November 2022, Colorado has focused on understanding the burden of Long COVID, the populations most affected, and their needs; strengthening partnerships with health care providers, patients, researchers, and the broader scientific community; and establishing new collaborations while sharing information with other states and federal partners to help inform a coordinated framework for addressing the long-term impacts of Long COVID.

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According to recent data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 10.8 percent of adult respondents indicated they had experienced symptoms for three months or longer after an acute COVID infection, suggesting that approximately one in ten Colorado adults has experienced Long COVID. Rates are higher among women; individuals reporting an orientation other than straight; those reporting poor or fair health or one or more chronic illness; people with a disability; and those reporting housing or food insecurity. Long COVID also has significant workforce impacts. Among adults with Long COVID symptoms, 20 percent reported taking time off work, 15 percent reduced their work hours, 5.6 percent left their jobs, and 3 percent retired early due to their symptoms.

"Long COVID affects a substantial number of Coloradans, many of whom face significant challenges in returning to everyday life after their illness," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. "By strengthening surveillance, partnerships, and public awareness, we can better understand who is affected, how communities are impacted, and where targeted prevention and support are needed to protect health and reduce long-term consequences. If you are living with Long COVID, you are not alone, and help is available. Talk with a health care provider to learn more about managing your symptoms and accessing care."

Vaccination against COVID-19 has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of developing Long COVID, with protection increasing alongside the number of doses received. This has been demonstrated in adults, adolescents, and children. Anyone aged six months and older can receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which reduces the risk of Long COVID. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available at low or no cost across Colorado. Visit CDPHE's COVID-19 vaccine webpage to learn more.

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Over the past year, Colorado has made meaningful progress in strengthening its response to Long COVID through surveillance, research translation, awareness, and cross-sector collaboration. In addition to publishing the Long COVID Annual Report, the Office advanced this work through several key actions:

• Expanded stakeholder engagement, bringing broader perspectives into Colorado's Long COVID efforts and ensuring patient and provider voices continue to inform state-level work.
• Strengthened partnerships with academic, clinical, and community partners, including the Colorado School of Public Health, healthcare providers, and the Colorado Long COVID Community of Practice. These collaborations have supported shared learning, dissemination of best practices, and alignment between research, clinical care, and lived experience.
• Engaged education stakeholders to better understand the impacts of Long COVID on educational attainment, raise awareness among educators, and support the development of tools and guidance to help identify students with Long COVID and connect them to appropriate accommodations.
• Advanced innovative data efforts by exploring linkages across the cancer registry, COVID-19 vaccination records, and the All-Payer Claims Database to better understand long-term outcomes, healthcare utilization, and the interaction between Long COVID, vaccination, and chronic conditions.
• Strengthened population-level surveillance by continuing to include Long COVID questions in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Colorado Health Access Survey, improving the state's ability to assess health and socioeconomic impacts over time.
• Demonstrated national leadership and cross-state collaboration through active participation in the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Long COVID Community of Practice, where Colorado's initiatives have been highlighted as national examples.

Through these efforts, Colorado has elevated the social and economic impacts of Long COVID on workforce participation, education, and family well-being and positioned the state to pursue more coordinated, data-informed, and cross-sector solutions to address the long-term effects of COVID-19.

For more information about the initiative of the Office of the Lt. Governor visit ltgovernor.colorado.gov. Find more information about Long COVID on CDPHE's website.

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