Ruminations: "Long COVID" : COVID "Long Haulers"

"The burden of these conditions will likewise be great in Canada and will have serious ramifications on health care utilization and workforce productivity."
"A good understanding of the prevalence of these conditions, its effects on COVID-19 survivors, and its resolution over time is important to address this issue."
Review, Public Health Agency of Canada

- A nurse performs a test on a patient at a drive-in COVID-19 clinic in Montrea. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

A newly released review by the Public Health Agency of Canada informs that over half of COVID-19 patients recovering from the coronavirus may end up suffering post-COVID syndrome for a period exceeding three months. Over two dozen studies from around the globe were consulted for the review conclusions, confirming that COVID-19 patients asked to report their experience with at least one long-term symptom responded with their individual experiences on recovery from COVID.

Over eight in ten people post-COVID were left with at least one long-term symptom affecting normal activities four to 12 weeks following diagnosis. Lingering symptoms after the initial 12 week period following diagnosis was reported by over half of those involved in the studies. Most people are known to fully recover from COVID-19 within weeks of onset, but what is familiarly referred to as "long COVID" is seen to affect people across all age groups, irrespective of how ill they became when first infected.

Patients reporting their experience of lengthy symptoms in the wake of COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic, referred to their experience as being "long haulers". Medical experts were left to scramble to fully understand what was at play as a rational explanation why it is that some people were left unable to leave the symptoms behind, even though months had transpired following their systems having cleared the virus.

NHL player, 33-year-old Chicago Blackhawks centre, Jonathan Toews missed the whole 2021 season, the reason given was that an unidentified illness described as "chronic immune response syndrome", had been responsible. It was only recently that he explained publicly that he had been suffering from long-COVID illness, leaving him to cope with intense fatigue, bloating and shortness of breath, so severe he found himself incapable of leaving his bed on some days.

According to the Canadian review, roughly a million people in the United States, and another equal number in the United Kingdom reported long-hauler-like symptoms. About half of patients reported fatigue in both the four-to-12 week period and as well after 12 weeks. Pain or shortness of breath four to 12 weeks following diagnosis was reported by about 40 percent of the study subjects. Following 12 weeks, 27 percent stated they were still experiencing some pain, while 23 percent were still occasionally short of breath.

Additional common symptoms include sleep disturbances, anxiety and a nagging cough, reported four to 12 weeks following diagnosis with COVID. Most symptoms with the exception of fatigue tended to diminish in frequency once the 12 weeks following the coronavirus infection had passed. Close to one-third of patients stated they were unable to fully return to work between four and 12 weeks after infection with COVID-19.

Ten percent stated they were unable to return to work 12 weeks or more after diagnosis. Some critics of the study point out weaknesses in the data -- traced to self-reporting of conditions, a bias in patient selection and a lack of knowledge of any pre-existing conditions afflicting patients before the onset of COVID-19.