Millions of chronically ill Americans struggle to get medical supplies amid pandemic: report

Pedestrians walk on a street in New York, the United States, March 28, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Six in 10 people in the United States have a chronic disease, and more than 61 million Americans live with a disability of some kind.

NEW YORK, March 30 (Xinhua) -- During the past two years, Americans chronically ill have become hostages to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and worsened by the demand for these same materials by busy hospitals, reported The Washington Post on Tuesday.

In contrast with COVID-19 patients, these people desperately stay out of the hospital, where they fear they could be infected with the coronavirus or other pathogens and suffer severe complications, only to make their ongoing plight more difficult, said the report.

"Yet their needs get scant attention, partly because their cloistered lives make them invisible, and partly because they have so little purchasing clout compared with large health-care providers, such as hospitals," noted the newspaper.

"It is hard to know precisely how many people with chronic illnesses or disabilities living on their own, rather than in group settings, might be affected by pandemic-caused supply shortages, but estimates are in the tens of millions," said the report.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 in 10 people in the United States have a chronic disease, and more than 61 million Americans live with a disability of some kind, including impairments in mobility, cognition, hearing, vision or the ability to live independently.