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
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
At least 9 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least nine people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
As Canada warms, infectious disease risks spread north
Cases of Lyme disease have now increased more than 1,000 per cent in a decade as the warming climate pushes the boundaries of a range of pathogens and risk factors northward.