N.L. government, health authority won't talk about treatment plan for long COVID patients
CBC
Despite warnings from Canada's chief science adviser that long COVID could be a "mass disabling event," it remains unclear whether Newfoundland and Labrador's government or health authority has any plans to address the condition.
What is clear is that it's affecting thousands of people in the province, says infectious diseases researcher Tara Moriarty.
She says it's likely that, so far, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 people in the province developed COVID-19 symptoms since December 2021 that have lasted longer than three months.
"We're still looking at a really substantial number of people in Newfoundland and Labrador who probably developed long COVID in the last year or so," said Moriarty, who leads an organization called COVID-19 Resources Canada, which provides a weekly forecast about the risk of COVID-19 in different regions.
Other provinces, such as Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, have implemented long COVID clinics, while places like Nova Scotia have implemented a long COVID self-management program, which includes virtual education and options for individual follow-up care for those suffering with ongoing symptoms.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Health said long COVID is managed at the "clinical level" by the newly amalgamated provincial health authority, known as Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS).
The health authority has refused to talk to CBC News about what, if any, treatment plans for long COVID it has.
"While the department sets provincial priorities and strategic objectives for the health system in Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial health authority, now known as NLHS is directly responsible for the operational administration and delivery of health services," reads the Department of Health's statement.
The department also would not answer questions about whether there are any plans to create a long COVID clinic.
It's a situation that leaves some doctors in the province with questions.
"We're very much learning as we go, with no real direction from any government organization within the province," said Dr. Mari-Lynne Sinnott, a family doctor based in St. John's.
Long COVID is a condition in which a cluster of symptoms persists after an initial infection of COVID-19. Since the condition is so new, says Sinnott, it can often be difficult to diagnose and treat.
Dr. Mona Nemer, Canada's chief science adviser, said in a report released in March that long COVID could be a "mass disabling event" in Canada, and could have future economic implications for the country, which may be "far-reaching and require planning and monitoring."
At a news conference last summer, Newfoundland and Labrador's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said the province "will have to develop a way forward" and start looking at how to deal with the condition.
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