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Tag: long COVID

Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Long COVID left her son with debilitating stomach pain. Why it’s an ‘uphill battle’ for so many kids to get treated

Published August 17, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Toronto Star
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By Kevin Jiang

When Rebecca Lewkowicz’s 10-year-old son, Ethan, first tested positive for COVID-19, the Toronto-based mom of two thought little of it — the boy had only minor symptoms, which went away in a matter of days.

She had little reason to suspect the mild infection in April 2022 would soon derail Ethan’s life trajectory and her plans for his future. Nor did she anticipate she would spend more than a year fighting for her son’s illness to be taken seriously.

“We were lucky because it only took us 13 months to be believed,” Lewkowicz told the Star. ”People (living with long COVID) go two, three, four years without being believed, and children even longer.”

Continue readingLong COVID left her son with debilitating stomach pain. Why it’s an ‘uphill battle’ for so many kids to get treated
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Why Canadians with long COVID feel forgotten by the health-care system: ‘The pandemic still isn’t over’

Published August 16, 2025

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Published by: Toronto Star
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By Kevin Jiang

Parts of Tracey Thompson’s home are papered with notes.

Post-its and sheets of paper are pinned to her fridge and bookshelves, chronicling everything from doctor’s appointments to errands and upcoming tasks — physical reminders of what the 57-year-old says her brain can no longer keep track.

Five years after the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thompson has become one of the faces of long COVID, her journey chronicled by numerous news articles.

“I understand why more folks aren’t willing to be interviewed because they can garner a lot of negative attention,” she told the Star. “While telling my story can feel repetitive and is often stressful, there are still folks who don’t know what’s wrong with them or what the risks are, so I feel obligated to keep talking.”

Her profile may be higher than most, but Thompson is far from alone.

Continue readingWhy Canadians with long COVID feel forgotten by the health-care system: ‘The pandemic still isn’t over’
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Do you have long COVID? Here’s how to tell, and what we know about the condition so far

Published August 16, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Toronto Star
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By Kevin Jiang

It has been more than five years since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet innumerable Canadians are still living with the consequences months or even years after their initial infection.

Much remains unknown about long COVID, or Post COVID Condition (PCC), despite the ailment affecting millions of Canadians and leaving thousands out of work. But as research continues to develop, scientists have gleaned some pieces of the puzzle.

Here’s what we know so far about what long COVID is, why it happens and how to tell if you have it.

Continue readingDo you have long COVID? Here’s how to tell, and what we know about the condition so far
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Funding Changes Might Leave BC’s Long-COVID Patients in the Lurch

Published August 12, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

Upcoming changes to B.C.’s Medical Services Plan could affect how thousands of long-COVID patients access care.

Starting Sept. 1, MSP is capping all online group medical visits to just 20 patients, to “ensure there can still be a one-on-one interaction between each patient and the attending physician,” the Health Ministry told The Tyee.

Most long-COVID care in B.C. is currently delivered through large online group telehealth sessions from the Bowen Island-based BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia, or BC-CLMF, which currently has over 5,200 patients — with 25 more referred every day, Dr. Ric Arseneau told The Tyee.

Continue readingFunding Changes Might Leave BC’s Long-COVID Patients in the Lurch
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Biological causes of long COVID discovered: the virus persists for months in the brain

Published July 31, 2025

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Published by: Sciences et Avenir
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By Camille Gaubert

Long COVID, often attributed to a psychosomatic mechanism, has biological causes, a study reveals. Months after the infection, the virus was still active, at low levels, in the brainstem of hamsters.

“We hope to bring relief to the patients who may have heard that they are not sick, that it is ‘in their heads.’ What we are showing in the laboratory is that long COVID has a biological cause!,” says Guilherme Dias de Melo, a veterinarian and researcher in infectious diseases and neuropathologies at the Institut Pasteur. Eighty days after the initial infection, the COVID-19 virus was found, still infectious, in the brainstems of hamsters affected by symptoms similar to those of long COVID, according to the work that he has directed and published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

B.C. plans to cut payments for long-COVID clinics, leaving patients in lurch

Published July 27, 2025

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Published by: Victoria Times Colonist
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By Alec Lazenby, Vancouver Sun

A virtual clinic that treats patients for long COVID and other chronic conditions is warning that it may have to partially shut down if the province goes ahead with changes on Sept. 1 that would limit the number of patients who can take part in online group appointments.

The B.C. Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia, run by internal medicine doctors Ric Arseneau and R. Jane McKay, treats 5,000 patients for a variety of chronic diseases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, which causes extreme fatigue, and PoTS, a heart rate condition.

After each patient goes through an initial one-on-one consultation, follow-up appointments can take the form of a virtual group medical visit of up to 12 patients, where either Arseneau or McKay take at least one to two questions per patient, or a group medication visit of up to 50 patients, which allows for presentations on different medications and then takes questions from patients.

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Topic: cognitive issuesView all posts for the topic: cognitive issues

COVID hospitalization linked to cognitive impairment 2 years later

Published July 17, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Stephanie Soucheray

Almost 20% of people who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infections early in the pandemic still had signs of impairment with brain function 2 years after infection, finds a new study in Scientific Reports.

The study population came from Portugal, in a region hit hard by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on hospital admission episodes and SARS-CoV-2 infection status from March 2020 to February 2021, the authors identified four groups: group 1 (101) hospitalized for COVID-19 infections, group 2 (87) hospitalized but uninfected with COVID-19, group 3 (252) infected but not requiring hospitalization, and group 4 (258) uninfected and not hospitalized for any reason.

Cognitive assessments were conducted in two parts 2 years after infection, a general screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and a subsequent neuropsychological assessment conducted by one of four psychologists if the score of the general screening was low. Overall, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functions, language, and information processing speed and attention were evaluated.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Experts call new Canadian Long COVID guidelines “contradictory” and “deeply concerning”

Published July 8, 2025

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Published by: The Sick Times
Published on:
By Simon Spichak

Key points you should know:

  • The McMaster GRADE Centre and Cochrane Canada developed more than 100 recommendations for Long COVID. However, experts say some of these guidelines could harm people with Long COVID.
  • Some recommend controversial and scientifically unsupported therapies for the disease: exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy. These treatments mirror harmful and debunked recommendations for myalgic encephalomyelitis. They also contradict major guidelines.
  • The majority of pediatric guideline developers came from the same children’s hospital that parents say has psychologized their children’s symptoms. And one committee member has an inconsistently disclosed conflict of interest.
  • Professor emeritus Paul Garner attempted to influence the advisory committee, according to emails obtained through a public information access request.
  • The organizations provided only one week for public comments on the recommendations. Many people with Long COVID stopped responding because they felt their voices were not being heard.
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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Long COVID May Cause Long-Term Changes in the Heart and Lungs and May Lead to Cardiac and Pulmonary Diseases

Published May 6, 2025

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Published by: Mount Sinai Health System
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Mount Sinai study suggests COVID-19 infection should be considered a risk factor for future cardiopulmonary conditions

New York, NY (May 6, 2025) — Patients suffering from long COVID may exhibit persistent inflammation in the heart and lungs for up to a year following SARS-CoV-2 infection—even when standard medical tests return normal results—potentially placing them at elevated risk for future cardiac and pulmonary conditions. These findings come from a new study conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published April 30, in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

The study, the largest of its kind using advanced PET/MRI imaging, discovered significant abnormalities in cardiovascular and pulmonary tissues, as well as altered levels of circulating immune-regulating proteins, in long COVID patients. These abnormalities could serve as early warning signs of diseases such as heart failure, valvular heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension.

Continue readingLong COVID May Cause Long-Term Changes in the Heart and Lungs and May Lead to Cardiac and Pulmonary Diseases
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Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseasesAn artistic portrait in blue and purple hues shows a woman in side profile from the chest up. Her figure is partly hidden by thick, cloud-like haze, and her silhouette includes images of tall wild grass and evergreen trees. Overlaid text reads: “Opera Mariposa’s Benefit + Awareness Month for the ME | FM Society of BC. May 1–June 1, 2025. Enter to win $3K prizes for charity. benefit.operamariposa.com. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.” The image also includes two butterfly logos: a red one for Opera Mariposa, and a blue, purple, and teal one for the ME | FM Society of BC. Additional details note that the event is online, closed-captioned in English, self-paced, by donation and free to attend, with support up to $3,000 being triple matched.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases

Published April 30, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Opera Mariposa
Published on:

Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa presents month-long programme benefitting the ME | FM Society of BC

April 30, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) – This May, Canadian artists are rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-infectious illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa is presenting their 2025 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring art, prizes, and special programming benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

May is the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and Mariposa’s programming is created by and for people impacted by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), Long Covid, and Fibromyalgia. These complex multisystem illnesses affect millions of people across Canada – and that number is rising, given that they can be triggered by viruses, including COVID-19.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Possible treatments for long COVID at the centre of new Western study

Published April 24, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CTV News
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By Bailey Shakyaver

More than 300 patients across four continents are at the centre of a Western long COVID study, which hopes to find an effective treatment for those who struggle with long COVID.

The study will look to trial two anti-inflammatory medicines as potential treatments, and hopes to bring into view people who struggle with the disease outside of North America.

“Despite the global prevalence of long COVID, patients report different symptoms and their presentation can be influenced by where they happen to live,” said Dr. Douglas Fraser, professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. “A study with global reach, tailored to examine each patient’s most severe symptoms, has the potential to bring hope to people well beyond Canada and the U.S.”

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Topic: pandemic responseView all posts for the topic: pandemic response

Is Public Health Really Dead?

Published April 22, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

Local podcaster Daniella Barreto called her latest project Public Health Is Dead to capture her frustration with how leaders handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It seemed like all of these things we’re taught in school, like prevention being key and using evidence to make decisions, was thrown out the window,” Barreto told The Tyee. “Mask mandates were being taken away, people were increasingly getting long COVID, and I decided I needed to do something because people were not getting the information they needed.”

Launching the podcast in November 2024, Barreto used her background in public health, with a master of science in population public health from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor of science in health science from Simon Fraser University, to help explain what went wrong. So far she’s released five episodes and has many more in the works.

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Topic: cognitive issuesView all posts for the topic: cognitive issues

Is Covid Rewriting the Rules of Aging? Brain Decline Alarms Doctors

Published April 14, 2025

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Published by: The Wall Street Journal
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By Sumathi Reddy

Five years after the pandemic’s start, millions of Americans are still struggling with long-lasting symptoms of Covid-19. Cognitive difficulties are among the most troubling and common symptoms in people both old and young.

These ailments can be severe enough to leave former professionals like Ken Todd unable to work and even diagnosed with a form of mild cognitive impairment.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Studies: 1 in 7 US working-age adults report long COVID, with heaviest burden on the poor

Published April 9, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Mary Van Beusekom

Nearly 1 in 7 working-age US adults had experienced long COVID by late 2023, and socially disadvantaged adults were over 150% more likely to have persistent symptoms, two new studies find.

Future public health, economic burdens

Yesterday in Communications Medicine, Daniel Kim, MD, DrPH, of Northeastern University, analyzed data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from September and November 2022 and August to October 2023 on more than 375,000 US adults, including nearly 50,000 with self-reported long COVID.

Kim assessed sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors as predictors of long COVID; estimated the risk of unemployment, financial difficulties, and anxiety and depression among working-age adults (ages 18 to 64 years) and those currently experiencing lingering symptoms; and tallied the economic effects of the resulting lost wages.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Tackling the ‘silent pandemic’: breakthrough study puts first long COVID treatment on horizon

Published April 8, 2025

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Published by: WEHI
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Researchers have shown a new drug compound can prevent long COVID symptoms in mice – a landmark finding that could lead to a future treatment for the debilitating condition.

The world-first study found mice treated with the antiviral compound, developed by a multidisciplinary research team at WEHI, were protected from long term brain and lung dysfunction – key symptoms of long COVID.

Researchers hope the unprecedented results could lead to clinical trials and the first treatment for the disease in the future.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

The pandemic didn’t end for this P.E.I. woman, who wants more support for those with long COVID

Published March 28, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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By Stephen Brun

Just over two years ago, Nikkie Gallant never would have imagined that simply sitting up in bed would be an exhausting task for her.

That’s been the P.E.I. musician’s reality since the fall of 2022, when she was diagnosed with post-COVID condition, more commonly known as “long COVID.”

Now she drains a lot of energy just going to the sink for a glass of water or folding laundry. She often has to forget about plans to leave the house.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

University of Waterloo students raise awareness about Long COVID

Published March 27, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Jeff Pickel

Although COVID-19 no longer makes daily headlines, some are on a mission to spread awareness about the impact the virus is still having on the community.

The University of Waterloo hosted a silent walk on Thursday to raise awareness about the condition known as Long COVID – when the impact of an infection is still being experienced months after the fact.

Those who have or had Long COVID, and supporters of loved ones with it, were among those on hand.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

‘Something was wrong with my brain’: How covid leaves its mark on cognition

Published March 27, 2025

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Published by: The Washington Post
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By Richard Sima

In March 2020, Hannah Davis fell ill, and everything changed. Her respiratory symptoms were mild, but the neurological and cognitive fallout was frightening.

“I could tell very early on that something was wrong with my brain,” she said after getting sick with covid-19.

And Davis had quantitative proof — her score for processing speed on a cognitive test dropped from the 96th percentile right before the pandemic to the 14th percentile after her coronavirus infection.

Continue reading‘Something was wrong with my brain’: How covid leaves its mark on cognition
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