One in nine Canadians have experienced Long COVID symptoms, ranging from mild to debilitating. A new exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver, co-produced by Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, invites visitors into the often-invisible world of those living with the life-altering effects of COVID-19.

Long COVID is a chronic condition affecting one or more organ systems that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection and lingers for at least three months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains widely misunderstood, under-researched, and stigmatized.

The Living with Long COVID exhibition brings these realities to light and offers a unique opportunity to intimately understand Long COVID through the eyes of those living it.

“One of the key findings of our research was that people who are living with Long COVID want to raise awareness of this ongoing public health crisis, especially as COVID continues to circulate,” says project team member Kayli Jamieson, a communication master’s student and health sciences research fellow who has Long COVID herself. “The impact of Long COVID is not just medical — it’s economic, social, and deeply personal. We are isolated not only by our symptoms, but from lost relationships. The suffering compounds when we face silence, disbelief, and doubts from friends, family, employers, and even healthcare providers.”