Geelong Advertiser

COVID FAR FROM OVER

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AN average of about 40 people are dying from Covid every day in Australia. Geelong has more than 3000 diagnosed active cases of Covid at the moment, one of the highest rates of illness in the state.

While we all merrily get on with our lives, attending events, travelling around the country and ditching our masks, the virus persists. The numbers may no longer be headline news, but they are still there – as high as ever.

These facts should not be forgotten as we head into winter, which in recent years has seen cases of the virus spike with the cooler weather. Throw in the debilitati­ng flu-like virus that is doing the rounds, and locals are at a decent risk of coming in contact with illness at the moment.

So it is great to see local medical profession­als continuing to get on the front foot to deal with this new reality. Newcomb GP Bernard Shiu, who is deputy chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practition­ers, has been a high-profile spokesman on local Covid issues and has now opened the region’s first specialise­d long Covid clinic.

Long Covid sufferers – those who are still affected by the illness more than three months after diagnosis – are not reflected in the daily numbers. Yet, as Dr Shiu has identified, they continue to require specialise­d care that is not being fully covered by our already stretched health system.

These are the sorts of services that are likely to grow in demand as the full impact of living with the virus continues to be felt and government investment will need to adjust accordingl­y.

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