Tamsin Shut’s life has changed dramatically since she contracted COVID-19 last fall.
She rode a bicycle to work, practiced yoga and spent weekends on long hikes with her husband and children.
The 42-year-old now needs a wheelchair just to walk in her Edmonton neighborhood. On bad days, cuddling up to read a book with her children is not even an option.
“COVID is absolutely not over. It’s been six months since I went through my children’s school and made me disabled, “said Schut, who is now plagued by a number of long-term COVID symptoms, including extreme fatigue and cognitive problems, often called brain fog.
As a result, Shut cannot return to work as a librarian. She spends most of her time at home, and regular activities, such as visiting the yard with friends, can leave her in bed to recover for days.
“I don’t think anyone would ever want a long-term COVID. “It’s painful,” she said.
“It was so hard for my children. I was a fun, energetic mother who could do all these things, and now… I was basically lying in bed, helping my kids, lying in bed, helping my kids. It’s not much life. “
The first major study in Alberta
Two years after the pandemic, doctors and researchers are continuing their efforts to unravel the mystery of the long COVID.
The Alberta Health Services, in conjunction with the University of Alberta, is conducting the first large-scale study of the impact of long-term COVID in the province.
“This is really important because we are trying to understand the experience of the people of Albert after COVID … If we understand that people are experiencing certain problems, then we can plan ahead with the provision of our health services,” said Dr. Chester Ho. , Senior Medical Director of the Strategic Clinical Network of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation and Vision at the Alberta Health Services.
“The more we learn about it, the better we can prepare our health professionals to support the people of Albert.”
The study included questions about symptoms ranging from shortness of breath and heart palpitations to headaches and difficulty concentrating. He also asked people to assess their mobility, pain levels, ability to continue activities and work, and levels of anxiety and depression both before and after their COVID illness.
Tamsin Shut, pictured here with his two children, now needs a wheelchair when he leaves the house. She rode a bicycle to work every day and went hiking with her children on the weekends. (Tamsin Shut)
According to Ho, 5,700 Alberts have responded to the poll so far. It is open to anyone who has had symptoms of COVID-19, whether positive or negative.
And he hopes more people will be involved in part so they can learn how long COVID lasts for people infected with the highly contagious version of Omicron that has spread to the province in recent months.
“So far, more people have participated than the first few waves. So as we actually continue with this study, we will get more information from people who have had Omicron and then we can analyze and find [that] outside. We don’t understand that yet. “
As research continues, the demand for treatment in Alberta is growing.
The long COVID clinic at the Kay Edmonton Clinic has moved from offering half a day every two weeks when it is open to five and a half days now, and the number of doctors working there has more than doubled, according to co-director Dr. Grace Lam.
“Long-term complications are something that keeps me and my colleagues awake at night,” said Lam, a respirologist and assistant professor at the University of Alberta.
Based on recent studies, it estimates that between 10 and 50 percent of people who have had COVID-19 infection will continue to develop long-term COVID.
The clinic’s patients are often relatively young, with an average age of 50, according to Lam.
“In order not to be counted – because of their symptoms, because of their fatigue, brain fog or shortness of breath – this will have huge social consequences.
Dr. Grace Lam, with the long COVID clinic in Edmonton, estimates that 10 to 50 percent of people infected with COVID-19 will continue to develop long-term COVID. (CBC)
And Lam warned against the idea that COVID was over.
“Even patients with a mild form of COVID can still get quite severe long-term COVID,” she said.
“I know there is an idea that we may be coming out of the pandemic phase and it is becoming endemic. But seasonal flu doesn’t cause COVID like this for long. This is a very unique virus, which for some reason is able to continue to exist and cause chaos in the body … At the end of the day, you still want to avoid infection, because the risk of prolonged COVID is not worth it. “
Other support programs also continue to have an influx of patients.
“There are certainly still people struggling with long-term COVID and seeking help,” said Rosie Tuomi, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Calgary and one of the founders of Breathe, a virtual self-management program for people with long-term COVID.
The program focuses on the pace of activity (to help people dealing with deep fatigue, often caused by core activities), breathing strategies (to help people struggling with shortness of breath) and peer support. The program starts in March 2021 and each proposed session is filled.
According to Twomey, the gravity of the long COVID is not yet fully understood. She hopes research, including Alberta’s long study on COVID, will help shed light on the disease.
“He is not getting the recognition he deserves. “It’s very easy to rule out invisible symptoms,” she said.
“If we have good data, there will probably be better recognition, better support for services [and] better funding for people with long-term COVID. “
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