A national long COVID and COVID-19 database is one of the key recommendations of a unanimous report released today by a parliamentary committee.

The House of Representatives’ Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport report was established to examine the impacts of long COVID and its symptoms.

The report aims to improve Australia’s response to long COVID, presenting nine recommendations including; a definition of long COVID for use in Australia, evidence-based living guidelines for long COVID, and a research program into long COVID and COVID-19.

The Chair of the Committee, Dr Mike Freelander MP, says it’s clear the emergence of long COVID has created challenges for patients and healthcare professionals.

“People with long COVID suffer from a lack of information and treatment options. Healthcare professionals, who worked tirelessly over the acute phase of the pandemic, are now in a difficult situation trying to support patients with this new and poorly understood condition,” he says.

The Deputy Chair of the Committee, Melissa McIntosh MP, says the Committee heard from hundreds of Australians on the impact long COVID on their daily lives.

“The Committee was particularly concerned to hear that long COVID is associated with poor mental health. The Committee heard that many individuals with long COVID feel isolated, disbelieved, anxious or depressed,” she says.

The Committee held four public hearings and reviewed 600 submissions from individuals, organisations and governing bodies.

Photo: long COVID by Jose Luis Navarro available HERE and used under a Creative Commons License. This photo has not been modified.