Long COVID patient feels 'discarded' by N.L. government, says it's deflecting responsibility for condition
CBC
Newfoundland and Labrador's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says addressing and treating long COVID isn't within the purview of public health.
It's left some patients in the province feeling left behind.
"There's so many people that are likely suffering that have no clue because there is no provincial directive," said Stacey Alexander, a teacher from Corner Brook who has been suffering from long COVID since the beginning of 2020.
"I feel discarded."
Long COVID researchers say the condition, in which a cluster of symptoms persist long after an initial infection of COVID-19, has affected nearly 15 per cent of Canadian adults with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. An estimated 2.4 million Canadians have developed long COVID since the beginning of December 2021.
Some long COVID experts say it's the "post-pandemic pandemic," with Canada's chief science adviser warning that it could be a "mass disabling event."
In an interview with CBC News, Fitzgerald said the public health department is not tracking cases of long COVID, nor is it providing information or advice about how to treat it to health-care professionals or the public.
"It's public health in the sense that the public's health is affected, but it's not public health in terms of what public health does," said Fitzgerald.
CBC News has made numerous requests to the health authority about what, if any, treatment plans exist for long COVID patients.
In a statement, N.L. Health Services said it is working on joining a national clinical trial related to long COVID in "the near future."
"By inviting patients to participate in this trial, N.L. Health Services is hoping to track long COVID and get a better estimate of the scope of its prevalence," reads the statement.
"Depending on the uptake and numbers of participants in the trial, N.L. Health Services may consider additional options for patient care such as a long COVID clinic."
At a news conference during the spring of 2022, Fitzgerald said the province "will have to develop a way forward" and start looking at how to deal with long COVID.
Over a year later, Fitzgerald said tracking and treating long COVID is within the realm of "acute care," and not within public health's jurisdiction "at this stage."
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