Long Covid

Long COVID, which goes by many names, occurs worldwide and refers to any of more than 100 symptoms that according to the World Health Organization definition persist, recur or first appear three months after an infection, or a suspected infection, with SARS-CoV-2. These symptoms can affect any part of the body and can persist for weeks, months or longer. The five most common of these symptoms, according to the September 2022 brief by the Ontario Covid-19 Science Advisory Table are fatigue, memory deficits, shortness of breath, sleep problems and joint pain. A patient-led study done in 2021, found a similar list. Their top ten symptoms persisting after 6 months were: fatigue, post-exertional malaise, brain fog (cognitive dysfunction), sensorimotor symptoms (e.g, dizziness, neuralgia, vibrating sensations), headaches, memory issues, insomnia, muscle aches, palpitations and shortness of breath.

The possible symptoms, symptom constellation/grouping and their severity vary from person to person. They can significantly reduce quality of life and can impair the ability to work and care for oneself. In other words, long COVID can be a disabling condition and it can result in complete reliance on others.

Statistics Canada data (October 2022) shows that almost 15% of Canadians who had Covid-19 experienced symptoms at least three months after their infection; that is, 1.4 million Canadians over the age of 18 or 4.6% of the population. Worldwide the estimates of those affected (while large) vary widely and this is a function of how little is known or agreed upon about the condition, including how it should be defined, causes, prevention and prognosis. Even so, the potential societal impact is substantial, in Ontario, across Canada and worldwide.

We draw attention to further words from the Ontario Covid-19 Science Advisory Table brief (Quinn et al., 2022) wherein they note

…. [A] proactive and comprehensive strategy to manage the post COVID-19 condition needs to be developed by health systems and policy makers. This strategy should include substantial investments in research and health system resources to mitigate the long-term health, social, and economic impacts of the post COVID-19 condition in Ontario. p. 1

Federally in Canada attention is being paid to long COVID (calling it Post Covid-19 Condition or PCC) by the Chief Science Advisor who, on March 9, 2023, released her report with recommendations to further information about the condition as well as deal with the impacts on the individual and society. Much more work is needed but the government and the Public Health Agency of Canada recognize that action is required.

What neither the Ontario Science Table nor the Chief Science Advisor note, and we want to underline, is the overlap between long COVID and the conditions for which CareNow Ontario advocates, the most obvious (but not only) of which is ME.