Older adults, the very young and the immunocompromised in the United States are "paying the price for the mask-less freedom of many," British newspaper The Guardian has reported.

"While much of U.S. society has breathed a collective sigh of relief at no longer having to wear a mask in public, that freedom has placed people who are immunocompromised at risk," said the report on Tuesday

According to the American Medical Association, some 7 million people in the country are immunocompromised, which includes "people who are organ or stem cell transplant recipients, or who have cancer, certain genetic disorders or take an immunosuppressive medication."

The 7 million people are not the only ones, it said, adding that older adults, the very young and those with long COVID-19 in the country are also placed at greater risk.

"So while for many Americans the pandemic increasingly feels over, for others – often the most vulnerable – it rages on," said the report.