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
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
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Specs
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
