Why do some COVID-19 patients experience symptoms months later?
Tens of thousands of people in Ontario alone have reported experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 weeks, sometimes months, after being diagnosed with the virus.
The symptoms can vary in severity and can include brain fog, anxiety, excessive fatigue, muscle pain, respiratory difficulties and chronic coughing—and for many, the road to recovery is long and frustrating.
In September, Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table released a report finding that at least 57,000 to 78,000 people in the province had experienced a post-COVID-19 condition following their initial diagnosis.
More than 200 different symptoms impacting 10 body organs were identified by the science table as being associated with COVID-19.
“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 at the time.
“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.”
In this week's episode of Life Unmasked, the team speaks with Dr. Angela Cheung, the co-lead investigator of the Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CANCOV), who talks about what she has seen through all four waves of the pandemic. The study has at least 17,000 participants.
Suzie Goulding, the founder of COVID Long Haulers Canada, also joins the team to talk about her experience with undiagnosed COVID-19 and how the country is not doing enough to support those with chronic symptoms.
The World Health Organization has said that about one in four people infected with COVID-19 have experienced a post-COVID-19 condition for at least one month. One in 10 people experience symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks.
Life Unmasked airs first on the iHeart app every Tuesday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email lifeunmasked@bellmedia.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.