COVID-19 'long-haulers' to receive support through new program at Htel-Dieu Grace Healthcare

Htel-Dieu Grace Healthcare has launched a newprogram tohelppeople who aresuffering from the lingering effects of COVID-19 weeks or months after their diagnosis.

The COVID Recovery Program, which the hospital announcedon Thursday, will offer education, treatment and support for those experiencingchronic conditions after a COVID-19 diagnosis, often dubbed COVID-19 long-haulers.

As Dr. Jeff Cohen explained Friday on CBC Radio's Windsor Morning,scientists are still studying the new diseaseand its long-term impacts, but common symptoms include brain fog, shortness of breath, inflammation of the heart musclesand profound fatigue.

"There are long lasting effects in significant numbers of people who have been infected," said Cohen, who isthe medical director for restorative care at the hospital.

"It looks like about 10 per cent of people even with mild disease are going to have persistent symptoms for many, many months if not years after the infection."

By that estimate, the numberof people experiencing the long-term effects of COVID-19 could be as high as1,700in Windsor-Essex, as16,846 COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed locally since the start of the pandemic.

For long-haulers, the inability to resume normal life also has psychological effects, and can lead to conditions such as depression and anxiety, Cohen said. Mental health support is also part of the program.

As a hospital specializing in rehabilitation, Cohen saidHtel-Dieu"has a lot to offer" people who are recovering from the coronavirus.

"Even if we can't cure them, we cancertainly help them learn to cope and improve the quality of their lives," he said.

The COVID Recovery Programcan be accessed through a referral from a family doctor.