Omicron ‘isn’t a regular cold’ expert says, urging people to avoid infection and risk of long-COVID
CTV
A top long-COVID-19 researcher in Montreal who’s recovering from a recent infection herself is urging the population to get vaccinated, and beyond that, to do whatever it takes to avoid catching the virus altogether.
“This isn't like a regular cold,” infectious diseases specialist Dr. Emilia Liana Falcone said, explaining that nobody should be under the impression that catching Omicron - or any other variant is a good idea.
“Even individuals who have very mild symptoms or even no symptoms can develop long-term sequelae (after-effects) of COVID,” she said, adding that applies to people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated.
As the Director of the Long-COVID Research Clinic at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), Falcone has seen patients who are 18 months post-infection and still have lingering and sometimes serious health problems.
“It's extremely alarming. Several who were very high functioning…very healthy now find themselves in a situation where they just cannot go back to work. They're more than a year out. And they're basically taking early retirement in some cases,” said Falcone.