Review Long Covid in Aotearoa NZ: Risk assessment and preventive action urgently needed, 2024, Kvalsvig et al

https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/lo...essment-and-preventive-action-urgently-needed

On the Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa
Amanda Kvalsvig, Anna E. S. Brooks, John D. Potter, Mona Jeffreys, Julie Bennett, David Davies-Payne, Jonathan Kennedy, Dianne Sika-Paotonu, Carmen Timu-Parata, Jenene Crossan, Celia Hume, Lynne Russell, Paula Lorgelly, Michael Baker

Summary
Covid-19 can cause longer-term changes in health, collectively known as Long Covid. With only four years of follow-up time to observe this evolving new virus we cannot yet see the full picture of Long Covid, but its impacts are already substantial and measurable in individuals, sectors, and societies. Evidence consistently shows that Long Covid is common, affects all ages, and frequently results in prolonged illness that can be disabling. It occurs with first infections and reinfections and follows all virus variants. There is currently no cure, making prevention critical.

Three urgent recommendations to the NZ Government are:

1. Identify a proportionate response by conducting a comprehensive Long Covid risk assessment;
2. Rapidly reduce infection and reinfection rates by ensuring that public settings are safer to access; and
3. Expand Covid-19 vaccine eligibility and coverage (eg, to younger age groups) to benefit from the demonstrated ability of vaccines to reduce the risk of Long Covid.

 

Looks to have been well done.
A number of familiar names there

 

Nice feedback from that commentator.

The overwhelming feeling I get from reading that roll is that governments are going to continue to deny the problem. Tackling it is just too difficult. I mean - better ventilation in schools? There's not even enough money for school infrastructure without ventilation considerations. There's such a shortage of government funds everywhere - what government is going to scare and upset their population about this and run the risk of reducing economic activity and making their health workforce even more disgruntled than they already are ... (Yes, I know inaction will get them to the same places, but probably they think it won't be their problem should things get really bad.)

I thought the recommendation for ongoing vaccination protection was interesting. If I have some time I would like to look into that a bit more. It's a nice story, but I wonder how firm it really is that vaccination protects against Long Covid going forward. If it is really solid, that might be one thing that governments would be willing to pay for.

 

Yes, me too.