Sunshine Coast locals suffering from ongoing COVID symptoms months after contracting the virus can now seek new treatment at the region’s first long COVID clinic.
The new clinic could even be the first to open in the state, according to Queensland Health.
Long COVID is when people are still experiencing lingering COVID-like symptoms, six, eight or 12 or more weeks after the acute phase of infection.
Operating out of Advanced Physio Cooroy and Hinterland Active Health Nambour, the Sunshine Coast Long COVID Clinic was conceptualised by accredited exercise physiologist and associate nutritionist Andrew McWilliam.
Mr McWilliam said he pushed forward to open the clinic about two weeks ago, after seeing a “definite need” for it in the community.
Treating clients referred to him by general practitioners, achieving good results and positive feedback was another driver to open the clinic.
“It’s an area I am interested in, so I’ve put together a clinical practice regime to treat clients with the illness,” Mr McWilliam explained.
Common COVID symptoms range from ongoing chronic fatigue (even after resting), sleep disturbances, memory problems, brain fog, breathlessness and pain.
“I’ve looked at several studies and some name up to 40 symptoms of long COVID,” Mr McWilliam said.
“Many studies agree about the common symptoms, but others outline things like taste disorders and temperature sensitivity. There’s a broad range of symptoms out there, that’s why we use tools to evaluate what they’ve got.”
Mr McWilliam said some people were unaware of the condition, even though it has been in the media.
“Clientele is building in momentum but it’s a new thing,” he said. “There is very limited research on long COVID but it’s an area that’s growing in study.”
He said his program was based on current research but they were discovering more about the illness as they treated more clients.
Practicing out of both clinic locations, Mr McWilliam said he’d been treating patients with long COVID for about three months prior to opening the clinic.
“Our practitioners are qualified to treat long COVID… the treatment of COVID symptoms, post-COVID six, eight or 12 weeks later is very similar to interstitial lung disease – a big area we delve into,” he said.
“We are quite good at treating fatigue… all these symptom areas are target pathologies for an exercise pathologist.
“I evaluate those symptoms and treat them separately, as a service to the community suffering from Long COVID.”
He said the clinic was open to partnerships with doctors and were seeking referrals for patients with long COVID to treat them.
The “ahead of its time” program curated by Mr McWilliam includes a subjective interview, symptom discussion, a full assessment testing of current fitness levels and lung function as well as an evaluation metrics to identify fatigue. A treatment regime personalised to the client is then created.
According to Mr McWilliam, people who were vaccinated could still develop long COVID, but he said the most vulnerable were people who had been previously hospitalised from the virus.
“Some studies report 50 per cent of people still have symptoms six months post hospital-discharge,” he said.
“But the prevalence isn’t widely known at this stage.”
He urged anyone experiencing long COVID to reach out and seek treatment.
“It is very disruptive to life; as well as the physical symptoms, it can have a psychological impact on people as well,” he said.
“Having ongoing support and rehabilitation for people struggling help them with their recovery.”
A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed the department was not operating any long COVID clinics at the moment.
“It’s important to note that there may be a range of solutions to providing care for people recovering from COVID-19 more appropriate than a clinic,” the spokesperson said.
“We are exploring all options.”
In July, the Department revealed a long COVID Project Officer had commenced employment at Queensland Health.
The role focuses on engaging with key stakeholders, such as primary care groups and various Queensland Health clinical networks (Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care, Surgical Advisory Committee, Rehabilitation and Respiratory).
The spokesperson advised QH currently did not have any data to provide on long COVID.
“Everyone recovers differently from COVID-19… while the majority of people will recover quickly, some might feel like their recovery is taking several weeks or more,” they said.
“It is reasonable that people ease back into their daily routines and activities.
“Any person who continues to experience COVID-19 symptoms in the months following their infection is encouraged to speak with their GP about treatment options.”
