A long COVID patient takes a lung function test at the Hufeland Clinic's Center for Pneumology.Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images One in seven US workers may experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms like "brain fog" and fatigue. Long COVID could be preventing 1.6 million Americans from rejoining the the workforce amid widespread labor shortages. Three healthcare workers told Insider how long COVID has impacted their careers. A year ago, Maddy was guiding hundreds of uninsured women through cancer treatment as a healthcare worker at a major Connecticut hospital.Now, she says she relies on calendar notifications for daily tasks and forgets entire conversations hours after she's had them.