Long COVID burden highest among working-age adults: study

Long COVID cost the Australian economy, on average, around $9.6 billion in 2022, suggests an estimate by The Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, The Australian National University (ANU) and The University of Melbourne.

“Workers experiencing ongoing COVID-19 symptoms months after their initial diagnosis resulted in, on average, about 100 million lost labour hours in 2022. This is equivalent to an average loss of eight hours per employed person, per year, including both full-time and part-time employment,” said Professor Quentin Grafton from ANU.

The researchers calculated the number of lost labour hours of Australian adults who were unable to work, or were forced to work reduced hours, in 2022 because they were experiencing ongoing COVID-19 symptoms up to 12 months after their initial diagnosis.

“Long COVID’s largest economic impacts are on working-aged adults. Our research likely underestimates the economic impact of long COVID because it does not account for losses such as healthy employees who can’t work because they’re caring for others with long COVID,” Grafton said.

The researchers’ model suggests health and economic burdens of long COVID comparable with those of the leading causes of the burden of disease in Australia but, unlike cardiovascular disease and cancer, the burden of long COVID is highest among working-age adults — a key difference that results in major economic losses.

Professor Tom Kompas, from The University of Melbourne, said, “The age bracket of Australian workers who are impacting the economy the most is those aged 30 to 49. Workers in that age bracket contributed to a loss of 52 million worked hours, or more than 50% of the total labour and productivity lost in 2022.”

The study looked at the number of COVID-19 infections in Australia from January 2022 to December 2023. Using data from 5185 Australian working adults aged 18 and over, the research team developed a mathematical model to calculate the number of people with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms lasting up to 3–12 months, as well as those who never recovered from their illness — people with COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than 12 months.

Senior author Professor Raina MacIntyre, from The Kirby Institute, said, “Widespread COVID-19 infection means that even a small percentage of chronic COVID-related illness and disability will impact population health, especially working adults.

“Coronary heart disease affects about 3% of the population and is the leading cause of illness and death in Australia and the world. Long COVID is likely to be up there among the leading causes of burden of disease.

“It’s time we considered long COVID in policy decisions, which currently makes it difficult for younger, healthy people to access boosters or antivirals. Widening access will have a better impact on long COVID, as the greatest burden is on working-age adults.

“Other strategies to reduce COVID and thereby long COVID should focus on attention to indoor air quality with improved ventilation.”

The study, published in The Medical Journal of Australia, also highlights the need to better support people living with long COVID and help them manage their condition.

“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,” MacIntyre said.

The researchers concluded, “The focus of public policy on COVID-19 must shift from solely preventing hospitalisations and deaths during the acute disease to encompassing the prevention of long COVID.”

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