TORONTO -- More than 130,000 Canadians have recovered from COVID-19, but some patients say they鈥檙e experiencing debilitating side effects months after infection.
Before the pandemic, Lorraine Graves juggled a busy schedule working as a journalist in Richmond, B.C. But in March, she started to feel aches in her throat.
鈥淭he very back of my throat was a little sore, but therapeutic ice cream took care of that,鈥 she told 麻豆影视 Channel on Saturday. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel sick.鈥
After a week, Graves says she was hit by an 鈥渋mmunological bust鈥 that left her in long coughing fits with difficulty breathing. Seven months later, she says she is still suffering from the effects of the virus.
鈥淚 survived, but I have survived with such problems,鈥 Graves said. 鈥淢y brain just doesn鈥檛 work like it did. I鈥檓 sharp, I鈥檓 vivid, I鈥檓 vibrant and I鈥檓 not any more. I can act like this for a little while and then I鈥檓 exhausted for the rest of the day.鈥
Scientists have found that some of the long-term effects of COVID-19 include heart damage as well as neurological issues like brain fog and difficulty thinking. Other patients have reported hair loss, fatigue and even painful lesions dubbed 鈥COVID toes,鈥 many weeks or months after infection. Those that have experienced persistent symptoms long after infection have come to be known as COVID-19 鈥long-haulers.鈥
While information is scarce about symptoms that persist after recovery, found that nearly 90 per cent of patients who recovered from COVID-19 reported at least one persistent symptom two months later.
Earlier this month, a group of 39 doctors considered 鈥渓ong-haulers鈥 wrote about their battle with the virus and their persistent symptoms in a manifesto published in the . The doctors are calling on politicians, scientists and public health officials to conduct more research into chronic COVID-19 symptoms and to create additional clinical services.
鈥淧rolonged symptoms are having a substantial impact on a significant minority of people,鈥 the letter says.
鈥淔ailure to understand the underlying biological mechanisms causing these persisting symptoms risks missing opportunities to identify risk factors, prevent chronicity, and find treatment approaches for people affected now and in the future.鈥
After reading that letter, Lorraine Graves says she shares similar concerns and wants government officials to fund more research and active rehab centres.
鈥淚鈥檝e got another third of my life to live and I want to live it vibrantly,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e need help, we need support and we need to be believed.鈥
