A new report released this week by Canada’s chief science adviser says she views early waves as the “head” of the COVID-19 pandemic, but long COVID as its “tail,” as the disease inflicts significant damage to those affected, their families and potentially to the country’s economy.
According to the Dre Mona Nemer, approximately 10-20% of people with COVID-19 develop post-COVID syndrome after recovering from coronavirus infection. Symptoms of long COVID range from high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat to medically undefined symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches and vision problems.
“Some patients have not yet recovered two to three years after the initial infection and it is not known whether there is a possibility that some of these people will never fully recover the state of health they had before the infection. ‘infection’, notes the Dre Taker.
“As the future socio-economic consequences for Canada could be far-reaching, planning and monitoring may be required,” she adds of the impacts of long COVID on the labor market and on the labor market. economy in general.
“Analysis of the socioeconomic impact of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) conducted in other countries, including the UK and the US, indicates that this condition has significant labor market and domestic product implications. (GDP), in addition to costs and pressures for the health system. »
Canada could therefore face a “large-scale disabling event” as it is increasingly clear that COVID-19 increases the risk of several chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.
Statistics Canada reported late last year that about 15% of adults nationwide reported long-lasting COVID symptoms at least three months after testing positive for COVID-19. This represents 1.4 million people.
Better collaboration
In light of these findings, the Dre Nemer makes 18 recommendations, including the creation of a pan-Canadian research and clinical care network, as well as standardized assessments and clinical guidelines.
“Clinically, an important question will be whether PCS, or long-lasting COVID-19, is a single disease or a constellation of conditions requiring separate treatment and monitoring,” Dr.re Nemer in his report.
“Answering this question will require close collaboration between epidemiologists, health care providers and health researchers, as well as the use of new approaches such as artificial intelligence data analysis. »
In response, the federal government on Thursday announced $29 million in funding to help experts develop clinical practice guidelines for post-COVID-19 syndrome.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says $20 million will go to the Long COVID Web research network, which will be led by Dr.re Angela Cheung, who is a senior physician-researcher at the University Health Network and at the University of Toronto.
This funding, from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, will allow the Dre Cheung to collaborate with about 300 researchers – including Simon Décary from the University of Sherbrooke – and people with long-term COVID to develop diagnostics, treatments and rehabilitation.
Mme Cheung is therefore pleased that researchers across the country now have the opportunity to share resources and learn from each other.
“We are going to organize webinars to share our results and we will communicate with provincial and professional organizations”, she underlines.
Clinics and rehabilitation services specializing in long-term COVID are already available in certain provinces, including Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.
But their exact number and locations are not readily available, laments the Dre Nemer in his report. Patients also have to endure long wait times to access services, she adds.