More than 5 years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and a survey by Lung Foundation Australia has uncovered that the respiratory illness continues to affect Australians, including their ability to work.
The survey looked to understand experiences and needs of the community post-pandemic. It included responses from people with lung disease and the general public.
1 in 2 of more than 500 respondents who had COVID-19 since early 2024 reported moderate to severe impacts on their ability to work and more than 60% of over 300 respondents living with long COVID reported similar.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said while it might feel like a topic that’s been overdone COVID-19 is still a respiratory illness causing people and society harm.
“The survey responses show that people are still worried about getting COVID-19 and the effect it will have on their wellbeing long term,” he said.
Of the 1423 community members surveyed, 40% said they are concerned about getting COVID-19 in the future and responses highlighted there is still plenty to be addressed to reduce the burden of COVID-19 and long COVID in the community.
One respondent said they had no knowledge of where and how to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and assumed they’re not needed anymore.
Brooke said the responses showed there is clearly more work to be done.
“Federal and state and territory governments and leading health bodies like Lung Foundation Australia have an opportunity to work together to look seriously at these issues and develop solutions to support Australians.”
“As a country we navigated many acute challenges throughout the pandemic but there are issues that require sustained and coordinated action.”
Lung Foundation Australia makes the following recommendations to address persistent issues relating to COVID-19 and long COVID:
- Strengthen COVID-19 vaccination coverage and invest in community-driven communication strategies
- Improve equity of access to COVID-19 treatments and strengthen consumer engagement in medicine review process
- Provide the public with more resources and information about COVID-19 and long COVID, focusing on communities with higher vulnerabilities
- Invest in training and information solutions for health professionals
- Improve current state health responses to long COVID by increasing access to specialised health services
- Consider further actions to reduce COVID-19 transmission
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
- We surveyed over 1,500 Australians to better understand their experiences with COVID-19 in the post-pandemic era
- 1 in 2 people infected with COVID-19 since early 2024 reported moderate to severe work impact
- 2 in 3 people experiencing long COVID since early 2024 reported moderate to severe work impact
- 1 in 4 people with a lung disease who had COVID-19 since early 2024 reported major or severe impacts on their condition
- Useful sources of COVID-19 information in the post-pandemic era
- Internet
- GP
- Government and information services
- However, 1 in 10 people said their general practitioner was not useful, and 1 in 7 people said government information and services were not useful.
- Top issues identified by the community to improve COVID-19 and long COVID management:
- Make it easier to get antiviral treatment when needed
- More people should be eligible for subsidised antiviral treatment
- More research to support prevention and management
- More campaigns to raise public awareness
- More clinics specialising in long COVID treatment
- More information and resources for the public
- More training and support for health professionals
For media enquiries email Rhiannon or Deirdre.
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