Editor's note: Thomas W. Pauken II is the author of "U.S. vs China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal," a consultant on Asia-Pacific affairs and a geopolitical commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on people from across the world, many of those infected continue to confront serious physical and mental symptoms even months and years after they had been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.

That's tragic and what's more unfortunate is that few people seem to be aware of how long COVID has devastated public health, as well as spikes in labor shortages, which severely disrupt supply chains. Additionally, United States President Joe Biden has dropped the ball in addressing the long COVID crisis in the country.

Recently, CBS News' '60 Minutes' broadcast an interview with Biden, who said, "The pandemic is over." Nonetheless, COVID-19 remains prevalent in the U.S. and worldwide. The John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports that there were over two million COVID cases in the country in the past 28 days, with hundreds dying from the illness daily on average.

It's believed that over 18.5 million Americans have succumbed to the lingering effects of long COVID. The common symptoms are: concentration difficulties, myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), dyspnea (difficulty breathing), chest tightness, and anxiety, among others.

According to News Medical Life Sciences, a population-based survey was conducted in English and Spanish from June 30 to July 2, 2022 of 3,042 U.S. adults. Data adjustments were made for age and sex, based on questions developed by the United Kingdom's ONS (Office of National Statistics).

Working age groups get hard hit

222 respondents, 7.3 percent of those surveyed, reported having long COVID, while 25 percent of them disclosed that their daily activities were impacted "a lot." 29 percent of long COVID patients were infected by the virus more than a year ago.

The survey's participants, who reported considerable impact of long COVID on their daily living activities, were younger than 50 years-old (34 percent) of them.

The standardized long COVID prevalence was highest among respondents aged 25 to 34 years (10 percent), 35 to 44 years (9.0 percent). Women were more likely than men to get long COVID at 53 percent.

The figures should raise alarm bells. Adults from the age range of 25 to 44 years-old are expected to enjoy their most productive years in the labor force. They have relatively good health, high energy and strong concentration powers. But for some, long COVID has harmed their income potential.

A recent Brookings Institution analysis found that as many as two to four million people could be out of work as a consequence. With more than 11 million U.S. jobs vacant, this could mean that one-third of the present-day labor shortages are due to long COVID. European labor markets have also been affected.

"My husband and I got COVID-19 in the first Belgian wave of the virus in March 2020, and unless you were old or had underlying health conditions, everybody was saying, 'It's just like the flu,' and 'You'll get better if you just struggle through it.' That certainly wasn't the case for either of us," Ann Li, chairperson of the non-profit, Long COVID Europe, is quoted as saying.

She explained that despite having long COVID she tried to return to work as a pilot's instructor and her health had deteriorated, making her incapable of living a normal life without pain or severe mental duress.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome cant be ignored

People who have been medically diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are often misunderstood by their friends, family and colleagues. And for those enduring long COVID, they have been stigmatized, double-time.

Most Westerners stand eager to move past the COVID-19 pandemic era since they feel uncomfortable wearing face masks in public, comply with tougher travel restrictions and social distancing measures. Hence, those with long COVID are not treated with much empathy in the West.

Meanwhile, many long COVID patients struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but sometimes their employers think they have psychological problems or are acting lazy. Yet in reality, those with chronic fatigue just can't overcome their feelings of overwhelming tiredness with sheer will power.

In most cases, people with this illness need more rest, and if they return back to work too soon they could make their illness much worse. It's like somebody with clinical depression. They are sad not because they want people to feel sorry for them but they have a brain chemistry problem that requires a medical solution, such as taking medication or going through psychotherapy.

Long COVID needs more public awareness

The COVID-19 pandemic era has affected so many people in our world. Those who stayed healthy since early 2020 have much to appreciate. Additionally, since 2020 over 95 million Americans have been diagnosed as having COVID-19. A large number of them have long COVID with chronic symptoms still impacting their daily activities.

The sovereign governments in the West should take further notice of this public health crisis, while those suffering from long COVID deserve to receive proper medical treatment and society should show more empathy towards them.

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