Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Oct-22

Several large-scale studies are attempting to measure the prevalence of long COVID in the population and its long-term impact. In this TTPN report, we examine the association between long COVID and mental distress and employment. The proportion of the Australian population who have ever tested positive for COVID-19 increased dramatically from 15.1% in March 2022 to 48.9% in September 2022, following the winter peak in COVID cases. Of those who tested positive, 15.5% reported that their symptoms lasted for more than one month; 6% of those testing positive reported symptoms lasting for 3 months or more. Long COVID affects a large proportion of the population who can have severe symptoms not usually associated with having a cold or the flu. These symptoms are associated with high levels of mental distress and unemployment, affect women more than men, and across all age groups, especially those aged between 50 to 69. Having a booster is the best long-term defence against the effects of COVID, yet rates of booster vaccinations remain dangerously low and immunity is waning. The Australian government needs to significantly increase booster shots using the best evidence on how to do this successfully. This report is based on a total of 1,013 respondents from data collected in September 2022. Visit the Melbourne Institute Taking the Pulse of the Nation web portal for further information and to access interactive charts and other findings: https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/ttpn.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH