Parliamentary inquiry hears of impacts of long Covid

A parliamentary inquiry has been dealt some sobering news by experts concerning Covid-19 for the remainder of the year.

The days of getting haircut while having to wear a mask are long gone in Australia, but Covid-19 is as present as ever, experts have warned. Picture : NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Medical experts have called for a national body which would be allowed to set minimum standards for indoor air quality, as a parliamentary inquiry faced warnings Australia will battle cyclical waves of Covid-19 which will cause severe health issues for the population.

Addressing the inquiry on Monday, Professor Brendan Crabb of the Burnet Institute said there was “every chance” Australia would see similar case numbers in 2023 to those observed last year and described long Covid as a “very serious issue now”.

“We still are getting properly infected,” Professor Crabb told the inquiry into long Covid and repeated Covid infections.

A parliamentary inquiry into long Covid and repeated Covid infections has been told Australia can expect to see continued infections this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Describing the data on reinfections as “concerning” he said the virus was “too distant” from current vaccines, but doubled-down on their ongoing importance.

Professor Crabb said global data was “telling us” countries were continuing to experience serious diseases on an ongoing basis as a result of Covid. He said the United Kingdom, for example, was seeing a 20 per cent excess death rate as a consequence of Covid compared to what would be generally expected under normal circumstances.

Professor Brendan Crabb of the Burnet Institute said there was ‘every chance’ Australia could experience similar Covid case numbers in 2023 to what were recorded last year. Picture: Hamish Blair

“There’s no indication there’s going to be any precipitous drop-off (in infections),” he said.

Professor Crabb said it would be a “very high risk strategy” to allow millions of Australians to become infected every few months and said long Covid was causing serious organ damage which was proving difficult to detect.

Professor Geoff Hanmer, ventilation chair at the influential OzSage advisory group, said hybrid immunity – protection from Covid through a combination of vaccination and infection – had been ineffective in limiting infections in the US and United Kingdom and was not going to work in Australia.

Covid-19 infections will continue to soar in Australia, with ongoing mutations of the virus hampering the effectiveness of vaccines, an inquiry has heard. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Professor Hanmer said while working from home, outdoor gatherings and mask wearing were all effective in limiting infection rates, high-quality air was the most important.

He called for a national body to be established to monitor air quality in a similar way to food safety standards.

“We can’t waste any more time,” Professor Hanmer said.

Professor Geoff Hanmner, OzSage ventilation chair, called for the establishment of a national body regulating indoor air quality. Picture: Supplied

“No one is breaking the law, because there is no law to break,” he said.

As of Monday, Australians are eligible to receive a fifth Covid shot, despite new data showing a significant level of vaccine fatigue in the population.

According to the most recent national data, there are 2587 average daily cases of Covid in Australia – an increase of 7.6 per cent on the previous week.

This is the high impact messaging that’s been absent for three years. And it’s not government doing it. @RealOzSage Will we choose to prevent Covid deaths? https://t.co/dcFHss0pRU via @YouTube

— Norman Swan (@normanswan) February 19, 2023

Originally published as Parliamentary inquiry hears of impacts of long Covid