While New Zealand has had a later arrival of Omicron and we've been able to watch the impact of the virus in other countries, it is still too early to tell whether the variant will cause long COVID to the same degree as other strains.
Long COVID lasts for three months or more after infection and is thought to affect 10 to 20 percent of people, based on recent research from the World Health Organization.
Dr Mona Jeffreys, a senior research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington's health services research centre, says from an epidemiological point of view, it's too early to tell whether Omicron will cause long COVID to the same or a greater or lesser degree than other strains of SARS-CoV-2.
"What is, of course, much more of a worry, is the magnitude of the problem. If, say, 10 percent of people have COVID symptoms that persist beyond one month, we would expect about 1000 people in Aotearoa New Zealand to be in this group, based on pre-Omicron data," she says.
"Based on current numbers (over 260,000 currently), we will be looking at a huge case-load of people."
But health professionals are "woefully uninformed", Dr Jeffreys says, since at this stage there is very little support available for people with long COVID in New Zealand.
Additionally, there isn't any current advice for people about how to reduce their risk of long COVID, she says.
"I would want everyone to know, in the same way that we all know about using masks, washing hands, etc, that if you get COVID, please rest until all symptoms are gone," Dr Jeffreys says.
"At this stage, this is the only measure that we know can reduce your risk. Other than, of course, getting vaccinated and boosted, so as to reduce your risk of getting COVID in the first place."
If people are infected with COVID-19, she recommends not pushing through if they have fatigue or muscle weakness, because with time and care, symptoms can improve.
The "struggle" for long COVID patients to access care is also of concern to Dr Bronwyn Lennox Thompson, who is a senior lecturer in pain management at the University of Otago, Christchurch.
She says people with long COVID are likely to have difficulty accessing rehabilitation services, particularly to help them go back to work, manage daily life occupations like parenting, and return to their usual leisure activities.
"Given the Government has placed most COVID management into the hands of primary care general practitioners, this means that most people with long COVID will struggle to obtain the rehabilitation they need," Dr Lennox Thompson says.
"While some people in a good financial position may be able to see an allied health clinician, long COVID requires a multidisciplinary approach within a team, and this is unavailable in most areas of the country while also being very expensive.
"Those people who are financially disadvantaged will struggle to access the level of rehabilitation support they need. Long COVID will highlight the disparity between people receiving ACC-funded rehabilitation and those who need rehabilitation for other health conditions. This needs to change."
Anyone with persisting post-COVID symptoms should rest and not overdo it, she says. And once you start going back to daily life occupations like preparing meals, supermarket shopping, and meeting with friends, plan to do no more than one new activity a day.
"Begin with a very low level of activity, and very slowly increase - interspersed with regular planned breaks throughout the day. At first you may need to rest before you think you need to, but avoiding a 'boom and bust' cycle of overdoing then having to rest is crucial."
Dr Lennox Thompson also recommends maintaining a healthy diet, asking for help from friends and family, and taking it slow when starting to exercise again.
"Begin well below what you think you 'ought' to do. The form of movement practise doesn't matter: do the kind of movement you enjoy, they're all good," she says.
"Be aware that your tolerance will be low - so begin low and be consistent. Walking is good, so is yoga, tai chi, qi gong, but if these don't float your boat, do what does make you feel good. If you overdo it one day, give yourself a break for a day - then don't do as much the next time."
