Workers, employers struggle as long COVID sidelines thousands of U.S. Wisconsinites: report

NEW YORK, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Millions of people in the United States, including more than half a million people in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, are COVID-19 "long haulers," reported the Wisconsin Public Radio on Sunday.

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation keeps a running tally that as of Aug. 31 estimated more than 543,000 Wisconsinites had long COVID symptoms, according to the report.

Nationwide, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 7.7 to 23 million Americans have developed long COVID, with its symptoms including migraines, brain fog, dry cough and shortness of breath.

The federal government has stated that long COVID can be considered a disability under federal law, and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees limited in their ability to work by the disease.

However, "help for workers and their employers remains elusive," and "investigation and enforcement in such cases can take years," added the report.