'This is going to have widespread effects:' More than 57K Ontarians experience a post-COVID-19 condition
A newly released report by Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has found that at least 57,000 to 78,000 people in the province had, or are currently experiencing, one of 200 post-COVID-19 conditions following their initial diagnosis.
The 18-page brief finds that while the majority of people with COVID-19 will fully recover, it may take others weeks or even months to return to their pre-illness health level.
“It can affect anybody who is infected,” Fahad Razak, internal medicine physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and a member of the COVID-19 Science advisory table, told CTV News Toronto.
“And unlike the infection itself, where we clearly saw that it was more severe and we were worried most about older individuals or individuals who had a lot of health conditions, the post-COVID condition, or long COVID can affect anybody.”
The science table identified more than 200 different symptoms impacting 10 body organs that can be associated with the post-COVID condition.
A post-COVID-19 condition, or long COVID-19, generally occurs when an individual experiences symptoms or related health conditions that persist beyond the initial infection.
The table says the most prevalent symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, general pain or discomfort, anxiety and depression.
In more serious cases, the report says that individuals may have impaired cognitive and physical functional status, including “limitations in the ability to perform activities of daily living.”
Impact of COVID-19 and Post-COVID Condition on Various Organ SystemsPTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. OCS, obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Reproduction with permission from the BMJ (Crook et al, 2021).
The World Health Organization has reported that about one in four people infected with COVID-19 has experienced a post-COVID-19 condition for at least one month. One in 10 people experience symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks.
“Patients with the most severe illness during initial infection, and especially those who require intensive care unit (ICU) admission, are expected to have significant long-term health consequences,” the report reads.
The report also cites a systematic review coordinated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, whose initial findings showed that about 83 per cent of patients with a lab-confirmed case of the novel coronavirus experienced one or more post-COVID-19 symptoms within four to 12 weeks, while 56 per cent reported symptoms 12 weeks after diagnosis.
In Ontario alone, the science table says that at least 57,000 to 78,000 people have experienced a post-COVID-19 condition—although they warn those numbers are a “conservative estimate.”
“That number honestly was bigger than I expected and that is the low end,” Razak said. “So to me, that was surprising. That's an incredible number of people just in this province who we’ll have to really think through how to care for in the months to come.”
“I'm very convinced, as are my co-authors, that this is an important entity that is part of the long term, public health and societal picture of what will be the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The brief also touches on how getting the COVID-19 vaccine reduces the probability of developing a post-COVID-19 condition simply by reducing the chance of becoming infected in the first place. The science table also cites emerging evidence that the vaccine reduces the risk in the event of a breakthrough case.
Razak warns that the long-term consequences of contracting COVID-19 has not been well studied but that it could have a significant impact on health-care systems, as well as the insurance industry, businesses, families, and social supports.
“I think a lot of the attention has focused on the acute infection, people ending up in hospital. The long-term consequences are a lot harder to quantify, and they've been less studied than what happens in those early days of the infection. And so I don't think that there's been enough attention on it,” he said.
“It's really an important area for all of us to focus on, because it's not just about the medical system or medical care anymore, this is going to have widespread effects.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.