National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on stopping the spread of Monkeypox, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Sept 14, 2022. (STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP)
LONDON – Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, warned against prematurely declaring victory over the pandemic, not only due to short-term needs but because long COVID represents an "insidious" public health emergency for millions of people, British newspaper The Guardian has reported.
Between 7.5 million and 23 million Americans are estimated to have developed long COVID
Fauci urged US Congress to avoid complacency and resume funding to combat the virus as well as long COVID, a chronic and prolonged illness that continues to elude scientists and healthcare providers, said The Guardian in its recent report.
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Between 7.5 million and 23 million Americans are estimated to have developed long COVID. More than 1 million people could be out of the workforce at any given time, resulting in a loss of more than $50 billion in income, said the report.