This story is part two of a three part series on long COVID-19 and the impacts on British Columbians
Doctors who have been heading up B.C.’s long-COVID clinics for nearly a year say there’s darkness and light in the journey to treat the long-term impacts of the illness.
With 3,000 patients referred, 1,400 patients seen, and months under their belts, there has been no shortage of cases to study for Dr. Jane MacKay and Dr. Adeera Levin.
“It’s been fascinating and also sad because it really is probably more far-reaching and has affected more people at one time than we’ve ever seen,” MacKay said.
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Unlike a year ago, when many patients had to fight for help, she says they are now being heard.
MacKay says they are also offered possible solutions and support to better understand their illness, as well as treatments like physical and mental health therapies.
“That one-year experience has been incredibly helpful going forward for the patients that are coming to see us now,” MacKay said.
But with a myriad of symptoms, each case is a complex problem to solve and some people’s struggle with long-COVID is very different than another’s.
Watch Part One in CityNews COVID-19 long-haulers series:
Levin, who is the head of nephrology at UBC, says each day they are learning new information about the virus, and expect those discoveries to continue in the years to come.
“The impact on long-term lung disease, long-term heart disease, long-term kidney disease, long-term musculoskeletal disease, as we follow people over time,” she said about some of the conditions they will study.
“This next wave is the Delta variant then we’ll be able to learn about the difference in long-COVID between those who are vaccinated and those who are not vaccinated,” Levin said.
Levin says for them, the biggest challenge is those who still refuse to get vaccinated despite vaccines being widely available in Canada and proven to be safe and effective.
Those people bring Levin to tears.
“[Because] we’ve seen the worst. Didn’t get around to getting a vaccine? Get around to it,” she pleaded.
There are four post-COVID-19 recovery clinics in the Lower Mainland, but patients do have to be referred by their primary care provider. There are no walk-in options.
