Hamilton, ON (March 9, 2023) – McMaster University clinician-researcher Holger Schünemann is receiving $9 million in federal funding to develop official guidelines for post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC), commonly known as long COVID.
Schünemann’s project, titled McMaster Development and Dissemination of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) Guidelines and Knowledge Translation Products, is being developed by McMaster in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Schünemann said that Cochrane Canada and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Centre at McMaster will develop, disseminate and evaluate six evidence-based health guidelines on PCC that will focus on its Canadian context. These guidelines, to be published early in 2024, aim to cover PCC identification, prevention, assessment, management, follow-up and monitoring of people with the condition.
The large national team with links to global health organizations will be co-led by Robby Nieuwlaat from the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) and Nancy Santesso, Jan Brozek, Wojtek Wiercioch together with a team of experts in the field at McMaster and Kevin Pottie at Western University.
“Post COVID-19 condition requires high-quality research to better understand and manage the problems that affected people face. This new research together with what is already known must be synthesized and provided to decision-makers, including the public, in ways that improves lives,” said Schünemann, a professor in the Department of Health, Evidence and Impact and director of both Cochrane Canada and GRADE.
“At Cochrane Canada and the McMaster GRADE Centre, in collaboration with partners and the public, we are privileged to play a leading role in producing and implementing health guidelines based on the best available approaches to address PCC.”
Researchers will create easy-to-use tools to bring evidence into clinical practice, paying particular attention to equity-deserving populations.
In addition to the $9 million for Schünemann’s research, the federal government is also investing $20 million in a long COVID research network to be led by the University Health Network and the University of Toronto.
“For some, COVID-19 is not something that lasts a few days. Its effects may stay long after the initial illness, making day-to-day living difficult,” said Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos.
“Today’s announcement of the Long COVID Web research network offers hope—and real solutions to come—to those living with post COVID-19 condition. Additionally, the development of new clinical practice guidelines will help to support health care workers and people in Canada in preventing, managing and recovering from post COVID-19 condition.”
What is PCC?
Health Canada says that anyone who experiences physical or psychological symptoms for more than 12 weeks after getting COVID-19 is classified as having PCC. The condition is not the same as COVID-19, as symptoms can be highly different from those experienced during the initial infection.
Common PCC symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, memory problems, brain fog, general pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, among others. More than 100 different symptoms have been reported.
The best way to avoid PCC is to avoid COVID-19 infections by taking measures such as getting vaccinated and wearing masks in public places. Early evidence suggests that vaccination with two or more doses before a COVID-19 infection may help reduce the risk of developing PCC.
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Photos of Holger Schünemann and Robby Nieuwlaat are available here: https://bit.ly/3T2CMJz
The Public Health Agency of Canada news release can be found here: https://bit.ly/3J60qAt
For more information, please contact:
Veronica McGuire
Media Relations
Faculty of Health Sciences
McMaster University
289-776-6952
