About 30 percent of Americans, or 23 million people, develop long COVID-19 following COVID-19 infection, according to a Jan. 30 report from CNBC based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The number of Americans suffering from long COVID-19 might have a lasting impact on labor shortages and U.S. job productivity.
Long COVID-19 is a chronic illness that has debilitating symptoms and can last for years in some patients. The symptoms can keep Americans out of work for long periods of time.
According to a study from the New York State Insurance Fund, 18 percent of people suffering from long COVID-19 did not return to work for over a year after contracting the illness, and 3 of 4 patients were under age 60.
An additional 40 percent of long COVID-19 sufferers returned to work within 60 days but had to receive ongoing medical care, meaning they had to miss work for medical appointments and may have required workplace accommodations.
Additional studies have suggested that 4 million Americans have been put out of work at some point due to long COVID-19.
Additionally, the New York State Insurance Fund found that those suffering from long COVID-19 have an average medical cost of $9,200 a year without accounting for insurance coverage.