Quebec budget paves way for 15 clinics to treat long COVID patients

Thousands of people in Quebec who live with long COVID will eventually have access to a specialized clinic to go to get treatment for their post-infection symptoms.

The province announced in its budget, released Tuesday, that it will fund 15 clinics throughout Quebec for people experiencing persistent symptoms long after their acute infection is over. Common long COVID symptoms can include fatigue, memory problems, brain fog, headaches, muscle pain and shortness of breath, among others.

The three-year plan will include $20.5 million in funding for the specialized clinics and scientific research into the condition. The project will include five reference clinics in Montreal, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke as well as 10 other locations throughout the province.

The province will also hire physiotherapists, social workers, nurses, coordinators, and administrative staff to work in the clinics.

Quebec estimates there are about 9,000 people province-wide living with long COVID, a condition that is not yet fully understood and has life-altering effects on the people suffering from it as well as their loved ones.

• READ MORE: Two years after the start of the pandemic, many with long COVID suffer alone

Dr. Anne Bhéreur, a family physician in Montreal, told CTV News in an interview earlier this month that she still suffers from symptoms since her infection in December 2020 and has been off work since then because the brain fog, shortness of breath and other symptoms limit what she can do physically.

A recent study found that 46 per cent of Quebec health-care workers who weren't hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 still experienced at least one symptom four weeks after their infection was over. Among the 6,000 workers surveyed, 40 per cent of them had one long COVID symptom after three months.

About a third of the respondents reported a severe symptom, according to the study, which was funded by Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services.