133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
6 May 2024
Dan
By email: [FYI request #26538 email]
Ref:
H2024040314
Tēnā koe Dan
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 25 April 2024 for information regarding Long Covid.
You requested:
“1) To date, since the beginning of the covid pandemic, how many people have been
diagnosed with suffering from long covid?
2) How many of these people have reviewed at least one covid-19 vaccination?”
The Ministry of Health does not record Long Covid statistics. We have also consulted with
Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora who advised the same. As there is no requirement under
the Act for agencies to create new information or compile information that is not part of the usual
reporting process, your request is therefore refused under section 18(g) of the Act as the
information requested is not held by the Ministry and there are no grounds for believing it is held
by another agency subject to the Act.
Long COVID is stil a relatively new condition and our ability to understand, identify and support
people with Long COVID is stil evolving. The Ministry continues to assess the impact of Long
COVID via funded research and put in place the steps for gathering data through the use of new
clinical codes which wil over time enable a clearer understanding to be built.
Currently the best pathway for people with Long COVID to access care is as they would for
other chronic conditions, through their GP, who can refer them on to specialist care if required.
Because Long COVID can present with a wider variety of symptoms, the specialist care
required wil vary from patient to patient.
In September 2022, we released the first long COVID guidelines for health professionals,
individuals and those caring for people with long COVID, adding to the growing number of
resources available around the condition. These guidelines were updated in December 2022 to
reflect the most current evidence.
The guidelines look at the options for care available to people with the condition; they give
advice to health professionals on what to look for when diagnosing long COVID and what
resources are available to people to manage those symptoms. As there is no known cure for
long COVID, the focus on the guidelines is identification, assessment, diagnosis, interventions,
supports and care pathways for rehabilitation of individuals with the condition.
In August 2022, the Ministry introduced new clinical codes for long COVID. The clinical codes
wil allow for classification of an individual’s diagnosis and over time this wil allow us to build a
clearer picture of the impact of the condition in New Zealand. The Ministry expects to begin
reporting on long COVID conditions in 2024, once there is regular use of the code allowing this
information to be tracked.
The Ministry has recently commissioned a number of research projects looking at long COVID:
• An
Impacts of COVID-19 in Aotearoa study, run by Victoria University of Wellington
which aims to understand the experiences of people in New Zealand who have had
COVID-19 and to learn about the short- and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on the
health and well-being of individuals, whānau and families. There is a particular focus on
key subgroups including Māori, Pacific people, people with disabilities (including long
COVID), and people who developed COVID-19 through their employment. The
outcomes of the study wil be used to advise health officials.
• LOGIC study: LONG term health Impact of COVID-19: Waikato Hospital Cohort
•
Burden of Long COVID in Aotearoa New Zealand: Establishing a Registry, University of
Auckland. This work wil help establish a long COVID registry and with that estimates of
the clinical, quality of life and economic impacts of long COVID in Aotearoa New
Zealand, plus provide a means to continually monitor health outcomes and inequities.
The final report summary is expected next week.
The Ministry is otherwise preparing for a more formal handover of Long Covid management to
Health New Zealand in order to align with the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel
free to contact the OIA Services Team on: [email address].
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by cal ing 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Manatū Hauora website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests.
Nāku noa, nā
Dr Martin Chadwick
Chief Al ied Health Professions Officer | Te Āpiha Hauora Haumi
Chief Clinical Officers | Ngā Āpiha Hauora
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