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“I’ve seen marathon runners who can’t walk a block without being short of breath”

The lockdown era of the COVID-19 pandemic is—hopefully—over for good, but even as the last of the mask mandates are dropped, many Canadians are still in it for the long haul. Long COVID, which occurs when symptoms of the virus persist four to 12 weeks after infection, has been linked to everything from brain fog to insomnia and even organ damage. Doctors are only now beginning to understand the full scope of the condition.

Dr. Angela Cheung, a senior physician scientist with Toronto’s University Health Network, recently helped to establish 18 long-COVID clinics across five provinces to provide care for Canada’s long haulers—and to map out what they’re in for. Here, she explains the extent of long COVID’s damage, how it’s burdening the already inundated health-care system and why it’s not all in your head.

Q: What inspired you—and other physicians—to open Canada’s long-COVID clinics?

A: I’m a general internist, so I’ve been looking after COVID patients since March of 2020. In my group practice at Toronto Western Hospital, I was seeing more patients with lingering symptoms. I realized COVID wasn’t just an acute illness—some people weren’t returning to their usual activities after getting it. What we’ve seen with COVID reminds me of the early days of HIV, when people were struggling to understand the disease. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was reminded of a quote by the late tennis player Arthur Ashe, who was HIV-positive. He said, “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

Q: Are there any cases that stood out to you, in terms of their severity?

A: I’ve seen marathon runners—who had no other diseases prior to COVID—who now can’t walk a block without being short of breath. When I was working in the COVID ward, I saw 90-year-olds who were quite well and 40-year-olds who had to go to the intensive-care unit. A common idea is that it’s only people who are already unhealthy who will get sick and suffer from long COVID, but it’s not like that.

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