Australian workers living with Long COVID cost the economy an average of about $9.6 billion in 2022, according to a new study.

Led by the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University (ANU) and UNSW Sydney, the researchers calculated the number of working hours lost by Australian adults who were unable to work or were forced to work fewer hours in 2022 because they experienced persistent COVID-19 symptoms up to 12 months after their initial diagnosis.

Researchers estimate that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2022, an estimated 1.3 million Australians were living with Long COVID. Of these, approximately 55,000 were children (under four years of age), who cannot be vaccinated in Australia.

ANU Professor Quentin Grafton said the health and economic burden of Long COVID was significant in Australia, particularly for working adults.

“For workers who experienced COVID-19 symptoms months after initial diagnosis, an average of around 100 million working hours were lost in 2022. This equates to an average loss of eight hours per worker per year, for both full-time and part-time workers,” said Professor Grafton.

“We estimate this equates to economy-wide losses on average of about $9.6 billion in 2022, or a quarter of Australia’s real gross domestic product growth this year. This does not take into account losses such as healthy workers being unable to work because they are caring for others with Long Covid.”

Professor Tom Kompas of the University of Melbourne said the age group of Australian workers who have the greatest impact on the economy are those aged 30 to 49.

“Workers in this age group contributed to a loss of 52 million working hours, or more than 50 percent of the total loss of work and productivity in 2022,” said Professor Kompas.

The researchers examined the number of COVID-19 infections in Australia from January 2022 to December 2023.

Using data from 5,185 working Australian adults aged 18 and over, the research team developed a mathematical model to calculate the number of people whose COVID-19 symptoms lasted three to 12 months, as well as the number of people who never recovered from their illness – people with COVID-19 symptoms that lasted longer than 12 months.

The researchers believe that governments and policy makers in Australia should place greater emphasis on Long COVID as a public health priority.

“A major focus of COVID-19 health policy is to prevent hospitalisations and deaths from acute COVID-19, while less attention is paid to Long COVID,” said Dr Valentina Costantino of UNSW.

“At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2022, between 310,000 and 1.3 million Australians were living with Long COVID. We estimate that by December 2024, between 173,000 and 873,000 Australians are likely to still be living with Long COVID 12 months after their initial infection. This does not take into account reinfections.”

Lead author Professor Raina MacIntyre, also from UNSW, said: “Widespread COVID-19 infection means that even a small percentage of chronic COVID-related disease and disability will impact the health of the population, particularly working adults.

“Coronary heart disease affects about three percent of the population and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia and the world. Long COVID is likely to be a major contributor to the burden of disease.

“It is time we factor Long COVID into policy decisions, as younger, healthy people currently have little access to booster shots or antiviral drugs. Expanding access will have a positive impact on Long COVID, as the greatest burden is on working-age adults.

“Further strategies to contain COVID and thus also Long COVID should focus on improving indoor air quality through improved ventilation.”

According to the researchers, the study also highlights the need to better support people with Long COVID and help them manage their illness.

“We need improved health system capacity to treat Long Covid and social structures to support those affected and manage their illness. This would improve the quality of life and possibly also increase the speed at which people can return to work,” said Professor Kompas.

“Financial support for long-Covid patients, at least for those who are unable to work due to their symptoms, such as access to a disability pension, would reduce their economic burden,” said Professor MacIntyre.

The study was published in The Medical Journal of Australia.