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Long Covid helps millions of Americans without a workforce


The ongoing labor shortage in the US raises an important question: Where have all the workers gone?

There are 10.7 million unfilled jobs in the US, according to Latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some economists point out high number of workers leaving their jobs in the midst of the Great Resignation. New research highlights another worrying factor that may be partly to blame: long Covid.

A report by the Brookings Institution published Wednesday said an estimated 16 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 are experiencing Covid symptoms long after infection. This condition, known as long Covid, can include brain frogs, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches, chest pain, and even anxiety or depression – all symptoms that can make anyone sick. hard-working people.

The report estimates that 2 million to 4 million of those are currently without a job due to prolonged Covid. This is almost as high as the number of Americans who quit their jobs each month amid the Great Resignation: Introduction 4.2 million quit their jobs in June and nearly 4.3 million quit their jobs in May and April, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In other words, the prolonged number of jobs lost to Covid could account for about a third of the country’s current labor shortage. And the Brookings report says it is taking a significant toll on the US economy.

Billions of income lost due to prolonged Covid

Based on the median U.S. wage of $1,106 per week, the report estimates that 3 million people losing their jobs to the condition equates to $168 billion in lost income each year. The report said that if 4 million Covid patients were not to work for a long time, the lost income could reach 230 billion USD.

That’s almost 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in current dollars out of a total of 24.88 trillion dollars.

Those high numbers may not even explain the “adequate economic burden” of Covid, the report said. That’s because they don’t account for the lower productivity among the many long Covid patients who are working while sick, or the healthcare costs and lost productivity of their caregivers.

As long as Covid circulates in the United States, the number of people with persistent Covid symptoms will continue to increase: one in four Covid patients According to numerous studies published last year, there are symptoms that last weeks or months after being infected.

The Brookings report notes that if the country’s long-term Covid population grows by only 10 percent a year, the annual lost wage costs will amount to half a trillion dollars over 10 years: “If long-term Covid patients go unnoticed, If the economic burden begins to recover at a higher rate, the economic burden will continue to increase.”

Long Covid is more common than you think

Because of the medical condition, doctors and scientists are still trying to solve many long Covid related puzzles. One thing is clear: Anyone can get it.

In March 2021, an analysis by the University of California at Davis Health Long-term Covid studies show that even patients with mild conditions can have persistent Covid. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the patients most likely to develop symptoms were those with an initial infection severe enough to require hospitalization, the analysis said.

One Can learn from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that both unvaccinated and vaccinated people were at increased risk for sustained Covid disease. The risk is higher for those who are not vaccinated, but research shows that the vaccine only reduces the risk of long-term Covid disease by 15%.

It is undeniable that the disease affects the patient’s life, work and health. Last year, Americans with Disabilities Act long label Covid as a disability because how it can limit the major life activities of the patient.

One July 2021 study from the Patient-Leaded Research Collaboration measured the effect of the condition on a patient’s work over the course of seven months. Only about 27% of long-term Covid patients work as many hours as they did before getting sick. About 23% are completely inactive, as a direct result of prolonged Covid. That includes sick leave, disability leave, layoffs, being laid off or not being able to find a job that suits them.

Ongoing and future research may help determine how to treat this condition, which could put many of those people back into the workforce. Experts say they hope they can find the answer soon.

Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal, “I am cautiously optimistic that we will get some answers and hopefully some interventions will help people. of Medicine, told CNBC Make It in the first day of this month.

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