Tens of thousands of New Yorkers — including “Orange is the New Black” actor Matt McGorry — suffer from “long COVID” five years after the deadly once-in-a-century pandemic hit, shocking new data reveal.
“My actual daily survival is based on understanding and navigating [it],” said McGorry, a 39-year-old Manhattan native, who was part of a recent online city Department of Health series about the issue.
A COVID and flu vaccination campaign conducted by the Health Department over the past year referred 21,805 residents to receive long-COVID-specific services during medical check-ups and outreach programs.
The department also is conducting an ongoing study of residents who have had COVID-19.
Preliminary results from the study so far indicate that more than one in four of the adults has experienced long-term symptoms, meeting the definition for long COVID.
More than 80% of those with long COVID reported limitations in daily functioning, and more than 25% said they experienced employment changes because of related medical issues.
An estimated 500,000 residents had lingering COVID-impacted illnesses that interfered with daily life in 2023, the department said.
“Together, these studies suggest that New Yorkers continue to experience the long-term effects of COVID-19, impacting not only health, but also work and daily life,” a Health Department spokesman said in a statement.
“Given the wide range and persistence of symptoms, the Health Department is continuing to analyze these data to better understand the burden of Long COVID and inform responsive public health strategies.”
Symptoms of long COVID include coughing or feeling short of breath, trouble thinking clearly or concentrating or having “brain fog,” dizziness or a fast heart rate, sleep issues, anxiety or depression, fatigue, stomach problems, muscle pains or losing the ability to taste or smell.
Long COVID also impacts blood vessels, raising the risk of heart ailments.
Acting Health Department Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said long COVID is a serious problem that warrants monitoring of patients, the way the medical community has tracked the medical conditions of residents exposed to toxic fumes and debris from 9/11.
She discussed the department’s efforts during two video interviews with McGorry.
“Our data here in New York City suggests there are about one in three New Yorkers who say they had symptoms that had lasted more than a month after their COVID infection,” Morse said.
Not all those cases meet the definition of long COVID, Morse said.
McGorry, 39, said long COVID severely impacted his career, which has included roles in the hit Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” and the TV series “How to Get Away With Murder.”
“Fatigue was and still is the main issue,” he said.
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He said he sometimes feels “light-headed”, has trouble sleeping and has blood vessel damage and micro-clots.
The actor said he decided to go public as part of a public-awareness and social-justice campaign to help others less well off than he is navigate lingering medical woes from the coronavirus.
“Essentially I have been locked out of my industry, and that has had big financial impacts,” McGorry told Morse.
“No one should have to choose between a paycheck and their life and safety. … I really want to raise as much awareness as possible.”
Over the past year, the department has sought to bolster COVID and flu vaccination rates in underserved neighborhoods through its Building Resiliency and Vaccine Equity program.
The program reached 319,507 residents and referred 42,773 New Yorkers for COVID vaccination.
Medical and social-service coordinators also referred 80,975 people to COVID-related services, and specifically 21,805 participants to long-COVID-specific services and 257,802 to other health and social services.
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