Between two to four million US citizens are unable to work due to long Covid, revealing the impact of the lingering disease, a new report by the Brookings Institution has said.
The new numbers are an increase from the think tank's January report that estimated 1.6 million full-time workers were left out of the US economy because of their struggle with long Covid.
Their absence from the economy could represent a chunk of the country's labour shortage, and account for at least $170 billion in lost wages annually.
"Long Covid is already a meaningful drag on US economic performance and household financial health. And absent intervention, the situation is likely to worsen," Brookings non-resident senior fellow Katie Bach wrote.
Long Covid is characterised by symptoms that linger for months, if not years, after the initial infection.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say long Covid might include constant fatigue, respiratory and heart issues, changes in smell and taste, and neurological symptoms like "brain fog".
Some report symptoms akin to what people with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome) experience, which entails extreme tiredness after physical or mental activity, making it difficult to perform normal tasks.
Brookings estimates at least 16 million Americans aged 18 to 65 years old are suffering from long Covid.
Long Covid sufferers receive oxygen therapy – in pictures
-
Mike Frayne, chief executive of Aviv Clinics Dubai, said oxygen therapy has been used successfully to treat a UAE resident who had long Covid. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Treatment is offered at Aviv Clinics Dubai, where an evaluation for long Covid starts at Dh25,000. -
Costs do not include the price of treatment, which can run into the tens of thousands of dirhams, depending on the severity of the condition. -
MRI brain scans were completed to test how the therapy was working, while subjects took part in cognitive tests and had their symptoms evaluated by a doctor.
The US is not the only country to have felt long Covid's impact on its economy. Research by the UK's Institute for Fiscal Studies in July found that around 110,000 British workers are not working as a result.
More than a million people in the US have died with Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, and at least 93 million people in the country have been infected. It is estimated that between 10 to 30 per cent sickened by the coronavirus will or have come down with long Covid.
The US Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance in July last year on recognising the lingering illness as a disability, and President Joe Biden at the time said Americans with long Covid could get federal disability assistance as a result.
Covid memorials across the US — in pictures
-
Italian sculptor Sergio Furnari poses for pictures in front of 'The Hero Monument' heart sculpture on October 25, 2021, in New York. AP -
The Washington Monument where US President Joe Biden hosts a memorial to honour those who died from Covid-19 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, January 19, 2021. Reuters -
A woman takes selfies with her daughter in front of 'The Hero Monument' in New York. AP -
Italian sculptor Sergio Furnari stands next to his car near 'The Hero Monument' sculpture in Manhattan, New York. AP -
Christopher Edwards holds up a memorial to those who died from Covid-19, including his grandmother, Brenda Meadows, in Washington, May 5, 2021. AFP -
A woman and child look at the 'Naming the Lost Memorials' at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Reuters -
Faces of victims of Covid-19 are projected on to the Brooklyn Bridge on March 14, 2021, in New York. Getty Images via AFP -
Artist Suzanne Firstenberg's temporary art installation, 'In America: Remember' in Washington, September 17, 2021. AP -
A cyclist rides past the 'In America: Remember' memorial. Reuters -
One of the flags that make up the 'In America: Remember' installation. AP -
Visitors mourn at the 'In America: Remember' memorial. AP -
The memorial with the Washington Monument in the background. AP -
An aerial view of the memorial. AP -
A flag with a message for a loved one. AP -
The installation consisted of more than 600,000 flags. AP -
A mourner visits the memorial. AP -
A visitor sits on a bench near the memorial. AP -
Two people hug as they look at the thousands of white flags. Reuters -
Part of artist Suzanne Firstenberg's temporary art installation. AP -
Hundreds of Covid survivors march across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, August 7, 2021, in New York. AP -
A woman holds an image of her husband as hundreds of Covid survivors gather at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. AP -
A sign at a Covid survivors' march in New York. AP -
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive for a memorial for victims of Covid-19 in Washington. Getty Images / AFP -
The Washington Covid-19 Memorial. Photo: National Parks Service -
The Washington Covid-19 Memorial. Photo: National Parks Service
