When you can't move on from COVID-19

Last week, New South Wales' first public long COVID clinic announced it will close its doors at the end of the month.

The clinic - at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney - has treated more than 1000 patients since it opened three and a half years ago.

In a statement, St Vincent's Hospital said patients who had been visiting the clinic would continue to receive the same comprehensive care but "within well-established clinical frameworks and with specialist input available as required".

The statement also said: "Patients currently under the care of the Long COVID Service will be contacted directly by our team in the coming days to discuss their transition and ongoing symptom management."

But the clinic's closure is leaving many long COVID patients frustrated and angry... and unsure exactly how they will manage their condition, which is complex and can be debilitating.

And as we approach the sixth anniversary of COVID first surfacing ... patients, clinicians and researchers are still grappling with some basic questions.

Why are some people struck down with long COVID and not others? How can we better diagnose it? What treatments will help the most? And how can we ensure all Australians have access to this help?