One in nine Canadian adults have symptoms of prolonged Covid-19

One in nine Canadian adults experienced long-term symptoms after contracting COVID-19, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.

Published at 10:19 pm yesterday.

Nicole Ireland

Canadian Press

That represents 3.5 million Canadians, we learn in a report by the federal agency released Friday.

Nearly 80% of people with chronic symptoms of COVID-19 have had them for six months or more, including 42% for a year or more, the report said.

Manali Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University, who specializes in respiratory diseases and immunology, underscored in an interview.

“(These patients) lose their daily productivity. So their quality of life is affected, which has a direct impact on the socio-economic situation in Canada,” Dee explained.^D Mukherjee, who has been researching COVID-19 for a long time, experienced symptoms of the infection for 18 months.

Prolonged Covid is defined by the World Health Organization as symptoms that persist for three months or more after infection and cannot be explained in any other way.

According to a Statistics Canada report, more than half of people who already had chronic symptoms of COVID-19 showed them last June.

“Among those who continued to experience symptoms in June 2023, 7 in 10 reported symptoms every day or almost every day, while 1 in 5 (21.7%) reported frequent or limited symptoms when they were at their peak. They are in their daily activities,” the federal agency added.

“Overall, half (49.7%) had persistent symptoms with no improvement over time. »

Statistics Canada’s findings aren’t surprising, D^D Mukherjee.

“The long covid was very real,” he recalls.

The most common symptoms of prolonged Covid illness are headache, fatigue and shortness of breath, he said.

Research shows that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 reduces the risk of experiencing long-term symptoms. According to D, the vaccine helps reduce the severity of symptoms^D Mukherjee.

We read in a Statistics Canada report that two-thirds of Canadian adults who sought health services for long-term symptoms related to COVID-19 did not receive adequate treatment, services or support.

Mrs.^me Mukherjee.

“We’re all trying to understand […] Different biological markers that explain this persistence (symptoms). […] Find a way to treat them using targeted therapies,” he promised.

“There is always hope.”

Canada prepared its report using data from the Canadian Covid-19 Antibody and Health Survey Follow-up Questionnaire, 2023.