McGill to launch Quebec-wide study on long-COVID
McGill University's research institute is recruiting participants for a new province-wide study into post-COVID-19 syndrome, also known as long-COVID, which affects thousands of people in Quebec.
The goal of the study is to advance knowledge of the condition and to create a "functional profile" of long-COVID sufferers in order to help them manage it and determine those who would benefit from further assessments.
Quebec's Institut National d’Excellence en Santé et Services Sociaux (INESS) defines long-COVID as symptoms that develop during infection and persist for four weeks or longer.
Common long-COVID symptoms can include fatigue, memory problems, brain fog, headaches, muscle pain and shortness of breath, among others.
Since the pandemic, more than one million people in Quebec have tested positive for the coronavirus through PCR tests, with hundreds of thousands more who confirmed an infection from rapid testing.
It is estimated between 10 and 30 per cent of people who become infected will experience one or more symptoms associated with what researchers describe as post-COVID-19 syndrome.
"The implications of SARS-CoV2 variants on the incidence and severity of post-COVID-19 syndrome remain to be determined. Facing a new and poorly understood health condition, we argue that a person-centered understanding of the impact and evolution of this condition, including risk and resilience factors, is the first step," researchers say on their website for the Quebec Action pour la/for Post-Covid (QAPC) Research Project.
Quebecers 18 and older who self-identify as having one or more long-COVID symptoms for four or more weeks, with or without a test, are eligible to participate in the study.
Participants will be asked to complete virtual assessments, including questionnaires and cognitive tests, on their smartphones using two mobile apps: Step Catcher and Handheld Monitoring.
Quebecers can find more information about the study and sign up for it by emailing the research team at post-covid.mni@mcgill.ca or by visiting their website.
In March, Quebec announced in its 2022 budget that it would invest more than $20 million to study long-COVID at five specialized clinics in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke and 10 other locations throughout the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
China lands spacecraft on the moon amid growing space rivalry with U.S.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by train in Brockville, Ont.
Brockville Police says a pedestrian has died following a collision with a train that was heading to Toronto.