Long COVID clinics a work in progress

Transcript: AMA Queensland Vice President, Dr Nick Yim, ABC Wide Bay, Breakfast with David Dowsett, Tuesday 12 July 2022

Subjects:   COVID booster shots, mask mandates, Bundaberg strain rumours

DAVID DOWSETT:    The debate is once again raging about mask mandates, as health experts warn COVID-19 fatigue and complacency is costing the most vulnerable Australians. Queensland Health is investigating the possibility of establishing long COVID clinics as a third wave of Omicron intensifies. And from yesterday, the fourth dose is ready for more people. Two new sub-variants of COVID-19, BA.5 and BA.4, are circulating. With me is Dr Nick Yim, Australian Medical Association Queensland Vice President and Hervey Bay GP. Nick, good morning.

DR NICK YIM:   Good morning, David.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Nick, has the phone been ringing off the hook to GP practices? People are wanting their fourth COVID-19 shot?

DR NICK YIM:   Absolutely. So it's been very, very busy yesterday taking phone calls, but we always ask our patients to be patient. Obviously there's always a supply and demand issue whenever the government makes an announcement.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Yep. So who should prioritise getting a fourth dose?

DR NICK YIM:   Definitely those of you who haven't had a booster, definitely go get your booster. And that's number one, people over the age of 50, definitely get your booster. And obviously people 30 and above who feel that they need a booster, who might be working in at-risk professions. Please get a booster as well.

DAVID DOWSETT:   How effective is a fourth dose for people aged 30 and over?

DR NICK YIM:   I think the key thing is we are seeing locally and also overseas that people who have been immunised still can get COVID. But we do know that when people are boosted and immunised, if they do catch COVID, they're generally not as unwell, it's less likely that they need to be hospitalised. And as you can imagine, there is a big strain on the hospital service with bed shortages etc etc around the country.

DAVID DOWSETT:   If someone has had COVID, do they have to wait until they can get a fourth dose?

DR NICK YIM:   Yes, we do need to wait. So the recent announcement has made it a little bit easier. There was a bit of confusion between the duration, but now it's three months across the board. So it just needs three months between your last COVID shot or three months after you've had COVID.

DAVID DOWSETT:    So Queensland has the lowest rate of eligible people getting the booster shot in Australia, I think it is at just 63.6 per cent. Is a fourth dose where we need to be focusing right now? Or should we actually be focusing just on bringing up that first booster shot?

DR NICK YIM:   I guess the message for those who haven't been boosted or even got that first booster shot, is to get boosted. That's the number one message, is getting that immunisation is key because as we've seen around the country, around the state and even in Wide Bay, there are healthcare pressures across the system.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Yeah. Now the federal government has expanded the availability of antivirals for over-70s. What's actually changed there?

DR NICK YIM:   Yeah. So previously it was over-70s with symptoms who are at risk were eligible for the antivirals. But now anyone over the age of 70 who does test positive is eligible for the antiviral on the PBS.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Now Nick, a lot of people are talking about masks again. There's plenty of arguments over the rules or lack of rules around mask wearing right now. Should it be mandated again? Or should we just leave it up to individual responsibility?

DR NICK YIM:   Yeah. So AMA Queensland has never called for mandatory mandates. I guess it's something where at the moment it's still mandated in across healthcare facilities. So when I see my patients, when they come to my practice, it is mandated to wear a mask. I think the key thing is it's something where wearing a mask is very, very simple. When I was walking around town in Hervey Bay over the weekend, I had my mask on. The key thing is there are a few simple measures that we've learned over the past couple of years is social distancing, hand washing, getting yourself immunised, and also wearing masks when you can't social distance, has slowed the progression of the virus. So this is that opportunity for everyone. If you can wear a mask, maybe put it back on.

DAVID DOWSETT:   And let's talk about long COVID clinics. What exactly will they do?

DR NICK YIM:   One of the big challenges that we face that we see in overseas countries and also in Australia is we don't know what happens when people do get COVID. How long are the symptoms? So that gives us an opportunity, I guess, to manage those patients, those patients in the community that do have COVID, that have long-term symptoms. So it's still a work in the pipeline, but that's something that will be a watch-and-see position at the moment.

DAVID DOWSETT:   What are we currently hearing about those long-term effects? What's the effect on people right now?

DR NICK YIM:   It is very, very variable from patient to patient, from each country to country. So some people could be just chronic fatigue, so feeling very, very tired, feeling like poor concentration or just don't feel quite right. And that can last for weeks to months. So that's an area that we're still researching quite heavily across the world, but that's something where we have to be careful of. And that's another reason why we don't want people getting COVID.

DAVID DOWSETT:   And finally, Nick, there were quite a few rumours floating around yesterday about a new Bundaberg strain. Can you clear that up?

DR NICK YIM:   Yeah. There is no truth to those rumours regarding that Bundaberg strain. Obviously across the Wide Bay, we are seeing an increase of COVID and that is the BA.5 sub-variant, which is the current strain circulating Australia.

DAVID DOWSETT:   So sum up, Nick, the main message you'd like to get through today - what would that be?

DR NICK YIM:   I guess the main messages are, if you haven't been boosted, please get that COVID booster. Similarly, the influenza immunisation, that is still available. And I guess the key thing is it's relatively simple.

At the same time, we don't want to see people in hospitals. Across Queensland, there are nearly 800 people in hospital due to COVID and that's putting a large strain on the healthcare system, which means that people with heart attack, strokes, trauma, it makes it more difficult for them to enter that emergency department and hospital system. So, to protect yourself and also to protect your community and your loved ones.

DAVID DOWSETT:   Nick, appreciate your time. Thanks very much. Dr Nick Yim, Australian Medical Association Queensland Vice President and Hervey Bay GP.