Long COVID cost Australian economy $10 billion in a single year

Scientists involved in the study, published in The Medical Journal of Australia, say the results show the federal government should make the condition a health priority.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) calculated that about 100 million working hours were lost in 2022 due to people with long COVID symptoms.

The knock-on effect upon the national economy was about $9.6 billion, or one-quarter of Australia’s real gross domestic product growth that year.

The figure does not account for economic losses such as healthy people who couldn’t work because they’re caring for others with long COVID.

Symptoms of long COVID, or SARS-CoV-2 include shortness of breath, heavy coughing, fatigue, “brain fog” and sleep problems.

They can persist for weeks or even months.

University of Melbourne Professor Tom Kompas said workers with long COVID aged 30 to 49 were costing the economy the most.

“Workers in that age bracket contributed to a loss of 52 million worked hours, or more than 50 per cent of the total labour and productivity lost in 2022,” he said.

The research team estimated between 310,000 and 1.3 million people were living with long COVID in September 2022.

By this December, they estimate that between 173,000 and 873,000 people will have the condition.

Senior author Professor Raina MacIntyre, from UNSW, said the research highlighted the need to be better support people grappling with long COVID.

“Financial assistance for long COVID patients, at least for those unable to work because of their symptoms, such as access to a disability pension, would reduce their economic burden,” she said.

Next month a federal inquiry is due to hand down its findings on the Commonwealth response to the pandemic.