Alberta Health Services estimates 68,200 have or will develop long-COVID
More than 68,200 Albertans have or are expected to develop symptoms health officials deem long-COVID, Alberta Health Services estimates.
In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, AHS says the figure is generated from an estimated prevalence rate of 20 per cent in the province, not from independent analysis.
The provincial health authority says that figure is consistently used internationally to project the number of people who test positive for COVID-19 and will likely develop long-term symptoms.
"Long-COVID is not a standardized clinical diagnosis at this time," said Kristi Bland, AHS spokesperson. "It represents a wide variety of symptoms that can range from mild to serious, depending on the patient.
"AHS is currently developing a process to track patients who present with post-COVID symptoms and is also collaborating with Alberta Health to survey Albertans who had COVID-19 to help us understand the type and duration of symptoms that people are experiencing," Bland added.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), fatigue, memory problems, sleep disturbances, shortness of breath, general pain and discomfort, and difficulty thinking or concentrating are some of the symptoms of long COVID in adults.
The PHAC says there have been reports of more than 100 symptoms or difficulties with day-to-day activities associated with long-COVID. The federal agency says 60 per cent reported one or more symptoms in the long term, more than 12 weeks after an initial COVID-19 positive confirmation.
The most commonly reported symptoms of long-COVID in children, the PHAC says, include fatigue, muscle pain, sleep disturbances, weight loss, headaches, and difficulty thinking or concentrating.
The World Health Organization says COVID-19 infection can also increase the risk of previously diagnosed or undiagnosed long-term health problems, like lung function, depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular inflammation.
Preliminary results from the U.K. Office for National Statistics estimates approximately one in 10 people who test positive for COVID-19 may experience one or more symptoms of long COVID for 12 weeks or longer.
As of Dec. 16, there were 340,916 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta.
Case counts provided by the province can no longer be relied upon to present an accurate picture of COVID infections as only select groups are eligible for PCR testing, and most Albertans are being asked to self-test at home, with no structure for reporting those results.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.