Covid-19 sufferer needs full time oxygen therapy after being hospitalised for months

A 30-year-old Queensland woman hospitalised since February after contracting Covid says her lungs are so damaged she has to be hooked up to an oxygen machine 24 hours a day.

A fundraising account has been started for a Brisbane Covid-19 sufferer who has been hospitalised since February and can no longer live without being permanently hooked up to an oxygen machine.

Abbey, 30, who asked for her surname to not be used, said she has spent the past 14 weeks in an area hospital and was now suffering from “long Covid” after the virus damaged her lungs, requiring her to be connected to oxygen 24 hours a day.

Long Covid comprises mid- and long-term health effects following a person having the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, and can include shortness of breath, fatigue, joint or muscle pain and other symptoms.

Zoe Arthy started a GoFundMe account, titled ‘Help Abbey come home again’ to try to help raise money for her friend to buy a portable oxygen machine known as a concentrator, after discovering Abbey did not qualify for government subsidies.

She said a portable oxygen concentrator and a spare battery would cost about $5000, or, “the price of freedom in this case”.

Brisbane woman, Abbey, has spent months in hospital after suffering from Covid-19. Picture: GoFundMe

“Abbey was struck down with Covid-19 in February, at which point she was admitted to ICU. Since then, she has suffered extensive lung damage/impairment from the virus and remains in hospital 14 weeks later,” Ms Arthy wrote.

“This, in its own right, has taken a large financial toll, having had no ability to work. As she moves towards going home she will need 24/7 oxygen and any portable oxygen is seen as a luxury, thus not provided by (Medical Aids) Subsidy Scheme.

“This would limit her life to the confines of her apartment when all she wants to do is get outside, work and actually try to enjoy life.”

A Queensland Health ‘Application guidelines for oxygen’ document states “MASS does not subsidise adult portable oxygen when its use is primarily for community access.”

Ms Arthy also wrote on the online fundraising page Abbey had been told she was not eligible for Disability Support Pension benefits under Centrelink, part of Services Australia.

“Centrelink have advised her she is not eligible for DSP given that ‘long Covid’ does not yet have a definition; it can’t be formally diagnosed and thereby assessed (sic),” she said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President, Adjunct Professor Karen Price, told the Courier Mail though there was no one Australian body or authority responsible for the official definition or recognition of health conditions such as ‘long Covid’, the condition was widely “accepted.”

Abbey says she now has to be hooked up to oxygen 24 hours a day. Picture: Supplied

“Long Covid is affecting many people in the community and must be taken seriously,” she said.

“Each state and territory should ensure there are the right health services, care options, and support structures in place to help those with this condition. No patient should be left behind to fend for themselves in the months after contracting COVID-19.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) developed a clinical case definition in December for post – COVID-19 condition.

That definition states up to 20 per cent of Covid-19 sufferers have been found to experience a variety of mid- and long-term effects, that are collectively dubbed post COVID-19 condition or ‘long Covid.’

“The Royal Australian College of GPs not only accepts the science underlying the harmful phenomenon of ‘long Covid’ but also produced a guide to support GPs identify and support patients who may be suffering from the condition and a supporting guide for patients to help them manage their symptoms with support from their GP,” Dr Price said.

A Services Australia spokesman said payments could only be granted in line with legislation.

“We appreciate this is a really difficult time for Abbey, and we’re (now) in contact with her to discuss the support she’s eligible for,” he said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President, Adjunct Professor Karen Price, said people suffering from ‘long Covid’ symptoms should be taken seriously. Picture: Wayne Taylor/NCA NewsWire

“We recognise medical conditions can have a significant impact on people’s lives, however, we can only grant payments in line with the criteria set down in legislation.”

The spokesman said people who did not qualify for the disability support pension but were unwell or qualified for the Jobseeker payment could be eligible for mutual obligation exemptions – the completion of mandatory tasks or activities required to receive a payment from Centrelink.

“We encourage anyone experiencing financial hardship to contact us, as we have social workers and specialist staff who can assist people in vulnerable or complex circumstances,” he said.

Some of the eligibility criteria for the disability support pension states a health condition must be “fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised before the functional impacts of the condition can be assessed in accordance with the legislated DSP Impairment Tables”, according to the Services Australia web site.

Speaking from hospital, Abbey said she was at higher risk for catching Covid-19 and other viruses because she was born with a chronic disorder called primary immunodeficiency.

A GoFundMe account has been started to try to help raise funds for an oxygen concentrator for Abbey. The Brisbane woman said her lungs have been damaged after she contracted Covid-19 earlier this year. Picture: Supplied

The genetic disorder weakens the immune system, making sufferers more susceptible to infections, which often last longer and are more difficult to treat compared to those with a healthy immune system.

“I don’t make certain antibodies in my blood … My immune system cannot fight things like a normal person,” she said.

“Even normal colds hit me harder. I get pneumonia really easily.”

The BabyEd Australia owner said even with having received the Covid-19 vaccinations, her genetic disorder meant she remained in the high-risk vulnerable category when it came to illnesses.

“The immunodeficiency means my body’s ability to make antibodies to vaccines is impaired,” she said.

But had she not been vaccinated, Abbey says her effects from Covid could have been much worse.

“Basically I’m alive, and I’m grateful for that.”

People, like Abbey, with a genetic chronic health issue called primary immunodeficiency remain highly susceptible to illnesses. Picture: Supplied

Despite the underlying health condition, Abbey said she has never needed to rely on oxygen full time before.

“It could be permanent or it could be for a few months, but no one knows as everyone is different and the virus is so new,” she said.

The registered nurse often travels to regional areas as part of her job teaching new parents about baby health and first aid, but without portable oxygen, she would be homebound.

Although Abbey said she qualifies for a government-subsidised home oxygen machine, she would not be able to leave the house with the bulky item.

“They’re used to mainly using them for people on end-of-life care,” she said.

“That means that no portable oxygen is provided. It’s considered a luxury to be able to leave your house.

“I’m 30 and I want to work. The idea of being trapped in a home because that’s where I’ve got oxygen … seems pretty inhumane.”