Medical experts are calling on the federal government to roll out a public education campaign about the risks of long COVID-19 and how to access health support.
A parliamentary committee examining long COVID has received more than 500 submissions from medical experts and people living with the disease.
Subscribe for FREE to the HealthTimes magazine
The committee's final report will make recommendations about how the government could improve data collection, boost research and support Australians living with the disease.
Long COVID is where symptoms of the virus continue or develop several weeks after the initial infection.
The World Health Organisation has estimated between 10 and 20 per cent of people who have had COVID will experience ongoing symptoms such as extreme exhaustion, cognitive impairment, breathlessness, heart palpitations and more.
A submission by former federal MP and public health advocate Kerryn Phelps raised concerns the true number of Australians suffering from long COVID was unknown.
Dr Phelps said part of the problem was the lack of consistent terminology or specific diagnostic tests for the condition which could worsen as PCR testing declined.
"With reduced access to PCR testing and the abandonment of mandatory reporting of rapid antigen testing, accurate data on COVID infections will be even less reliable and collection of data on long COVID even more challenging," she said.
Dr Phelps backed a national health campaign to educate people about the risks of long COVID and called for further research into its causes.
A joint submission by the Australian Psychological Society and Phoenix Australia said the mental health impacts of the disease must not be underestimated.
The bodies urged the government to fund ongoing and sustained research on the disease as well as launch an education campaign about its effects and how to access treatment.
It also called for research into the role health anxiety could play in exacerbating long COVID symptoms.
"A large number of people with long COVID have found it very difficult to advocate for themselves," the submission said.
"Many report that their problem-solving skills have been impacted and with increased anxiety levels it has been hard for them to 'navigate the system' to get assistance and try to make sense of the symptoms alone."
