A US think-tank estimates that around 16 million working-age US adults are suffering long-term from the effects of the coronavirus, with up to four million of them unable to perform their jobs.

The Washington DC-based Brookings Institution on Wednesday released its assessments of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on US society.

The report says that about 16 million people aged 18 to 65 today suffer from what is being called "long COVID". Their symptoms include shortness of breath and brain fog.

The report also says that two to four million of those people are out of work due to long COVID. The figure accounts for 1.8 percent of the entire US civilian labor force.
The report says the cost of those lost wages alone is potentially as high as 230 billion dollars a year.

The institution estimates that if the long COVID population increases by 10 percent each year, in 10 years, the annual cost of lost wages will be 500 billion dollars.

The institution calls for increased efforts to improve the situation, including more accessible treatment and prevention options, and ensuring paid sick leave for all workers.