[Paper Review] Long COVID Prevalence, Disability, and Accommodations: Analysis Across Demographic Groups

Jennifer Cohen, Yana Rodgers|arXiv (Cornell University)|Mar 3, 2026

Long-Term Effects of COVID-190 citations

TL;DR

The paper analyzes long COVID prevalence and activity limitations across U.S. demographic groups using the Household Pulse Survey, and examines pandemic-related remote work among disabled and non-disabled workers via the Current Population Survey. It highlights disparities in long COVID impact and remote-work accommodation patterns by disability status and other sociodemographic factors.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This paper examines the prevalence of long COVID across different demographic groups in the U.S. and the extent to which workers with impairments associated with long COVID have engaged in pandemic-related remote work. Methods: We use the U.S. Household Pulse Survey to evaluate the proportion of all adults who self-reported to (1) have had long COVID, and (2) have activity limitations due to long COVID. We also use data from the U.S. Current Population Survey to estimate linear probability regressions for the likelihood of pandemic-related remote work among workers with and without disabilities. Results: Findings indicate that women, Hispanic people, sexual and gender minorities, individuals without four-year college degrees, and people with preexisting disabilities are more likely to have long COVID and to have activity limitations from long COVID. Remote work is a reasonable arrangement for people with such activity limitations and may be an unintentional accommodation for some people who have undisclosed disabilities. However, this study shows that people with disabilities were less likely than people without disabilities to perform pandemic-related remote work. Conclusion: The data suggest this disparity persists because people with disabilities are clustered in jobs that are not amenable to remote work. Employers need to consider other accommodations, especially shorter workdays and flexible scheduling, to hire and retain employees who are struggling with the impacts of long COVID.

Motivation & Objective

• Assess the prevalence of long COVID in the U.S. across demographic groups.
• Quantify activity limitations due to long COVID.
• Evaluate pandemic-related remote work among workers with and without disabilities.
• Identify disparities in long COVID impact by education, gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status.
• Suggest accommodations that may support workers affected by long COVID.

Proposed method

• Use the U.S. Household Pulse Survey to estimate the share of adults who self-report long COVID and those with activity limitations from long COVID.
• Use the U.S. Current Population Survey to estimate linear probability models for the likelihood of pandemic-related remote work conditional on disability status.
• Disaggregate results by demographic characteristics to identify groups with higher prevalence and greater activity limitations.
• Compare remote-work adoption between workers with disabilities and those without.
• Draw implications for workplace accommodations and policy.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What is the prevalence of long COVID across different demographic groups in the United States?
• RQ2 What is the prevalence of activity limitations due to long COVID across demographic groups?
• RQ3 How does pandemic-related remote work differ between workers with and without disabilities?
• RQ4 Do individuals with disabilities face less access to remote work compared to those without disabilities, and why?
• RQ5 What accommodations could better support workers experiencing long COVID?

Key findings

• Women, Hispanic people, sexual and gender minorities, those without a four-year degree, and people with preexisting disabilities show higher likelihood of long COVID and activity limitations from long COVID.
• Remote work appears to be a reasonable accommodation for those with activity limitations due to long COVID, and may function as an unintentional accommodation for some undisclosed disabilities.
• People with disabilities are less likely than people without disabilities to engage in pandemic-related remote work.
• The gap in remote-work uptake persists due to clustering of disabled workers in non-remote-friendly jobs.
• The study implies employers should consider other accommodations such as shorter workdays and flexible scheduling to hire and retain affected employees.