COVID-19: Longer-term symptoms among Canadian adults: Highlights

Some people continue to experience symptoms after the acute phase of COVID-19 has ended. These longer-term symptoms are known as post COVID-19 condition, or long COVID.

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Data source

The Government of Canada developed the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) to learn more about longer-term symptoms. The CCAHS covers the period from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic until August 31, 2022. A random sample of Canadian adults were surveyed between April 1 and August 31, 2022. The questionnaire asked about new or continuing symptoms 3 or more months after a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.

A follow-up survey (CCAHS-FQ) of adults who had participated in the CCAHS was conducted. The follow-up survey collected information about longer-term symptoms after confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.

We used data from these surveys to produce the reports highlighted here. The first and second reports used data from the CCAHS while the third report used data from the CCAHS-FQ.

Highlights of the third report (Fall 2023)

The third report, Experiences of Canadians with long-term symptoms following COVID-19, was a collaboration between Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. It was published in the fall of 2023 in the journal Insights on Canadian Society. It provides information on adults who had COVID-19 and their experiences with longer-term symptoms and healthcare, as well as the vaccination status of all adults.

Since this report was based on data from the CCAHS-FQ, estimates may differ from those published earlier.

The survey revealed that as of June 2023:

The survey also showed that adults who had had COVID-19 multiple times were more likely to report longer-term symptoms:

Highlights of the second report (Spring 2023)

The second report, Associations between Longer-term Symptoms after COVID-19 and Sociodemographics, Health Characteristics, Period of Infection, and Vaccination Status in Canadian Adults, January 2020 to August 2022, was published in the Spring of 2023. It looked at which groups of adults were more likely to report longer-term symptoms. It also explored risk and protective factors. Since this report was based on the latest CCAHS data, some estimates may differ from those published earlier.

The survey revealed that 17.2% of adults experienced longer-term symptoms after having had COVID-19 (confirmed or suspected), and that certain groups were more likely to report longer-term symptoms, including those who:

The survey also showed that longer-term symptoms were more common among adults who were:

The results presented in this publication are consistent with other studies on longer-term symptoms after getting COVID-19.

Highlights of the first report (Fall 2022)

The first report, Frequency and impact of longer-term symptoms following COVID-19 in Canadian adults, was published in the Fall of 2022.

14.8%

of adults with a confirmed or suspected infection experienced longer-term COVID-19 symptoms

47.3%

of adults who experienced longer-term COVID-19 symptoms experienced symptoms for a year or longer

21.3%

of adults who experienced longer-term COVID-19 symptoms said that their symptoms often or always limited their daily activities

Longer-term symptoms were more common among females (18%) than males (11.6%), and among those who reported severe symptoms when they first got sick (36.4%).

Among adults with longer-term symptoms, the most common were:

Among adults with longer-term symptoms who were employed or attending school, approximately three-quarters (74.1%) missed some work or school due to their symptoms. On average, they missed 20 days.

These results are consistent with those from other surveys and international evidence.

Other initiatives about longer-term symptoms

The Government of Canada is trying to better understand and address the longer-term health impacts of COVID-19. In addition to the CCAHS, other efforts include investments in research through the:

For more information, please visit our post COVID-19 condition page.

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