As several countries begin to assess their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the key frustrations commonly highlighted has been the need for more investment in understanding the long-term health impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection - specifically biomedical research. A recent comprehensive review on Long Covid, covering major findings, mechanisms and recommendations, led by Eric Topol, also highlighted the urgency for continued investment in biomedical research of Long Covid and polices to provide adequate care and support for those impacted. Indeed, there have been global efforts to understand prevalence and mechanisms of disease, however, investment in such actions have yet to be undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand.

To understand the impacts of Long Covid, we first need to understand infection prevalence via seroprevalence studies coupled with qualitative surveys or clinical data. Only then will we be able to estimate the proportion of people who have had COVID-19 and subsequently, the prevalence of Long Covid. Country-specific data is important as it provides a localised and nuanced view given infection prevalence, frequency of variant waves, and demographic distribution can vary greatly between countries. Indeed, the prevalence and ongoing risks of Long Covid may be different here in Aotearoa/NZ given we had good vaccine coverage before Omicron variants and subvariants hit our shores. Therefore, despite international efforts, it will always be challenging to extrapolate prevalence and ongoing health risks to the situation here unless we start gathering data.

One of the key messages from this Policy Forum report was that the COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the importance of collaboration and sustained investment in basic and applied research, especially biomedical. Therefore, it is a missed opportunity to not combine population-based infection prevalence studies with investment in biomedical research to understand the impacts of COVID-19, including ongoing risks from reinfection, on our population.