NEW YORK -- (Xinhua) -- Long-term COVID patients in the United States have been abandoned in a system that was time-consuming and difficult to handle even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, US News & World Report reported. Monday.

“People face long waiting times, insufficient legal support, a lack of clear guidance on how to prove their disability, and the challenges of a medical system that does not have a standardized process for diagnosing long-term COVID,” the report quoted health experts and disability advocates as saying.

The report indicated that recent research from the Brookings Institution estimates that between 2 million and 4 million Americans are unemployed due to long-term Covid, adding that a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in September indicates a number closer to 500,000.

The Biden administration has promised to support people with long-term Covid, but advocates for patients say many are struggling to get government help.