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
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
With DNA break, police ID victim in decades-old Newfoundland case
A skull was found along a backroad near St. John's more than 20 years ago. Now, police have finally identified the victim of the homicide.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing plan defeated in House of Commons
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing bill has been defeated in the House of Commons with the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois voting against the legislation.