Crowds of people suffering long COVID rallied outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Saturday afternoon to raise awareness of the debilitating effects felt by those still battling the disease.
People had gathered to call on the government to assist with funding for further research into symptoms and treatments, disability support, public awareness, and training for medical staff.
Via placards and speeches, protesters described their own various experiences and asked passers by and others in attendance to send letters to their MLA’s and MP’s, requesting support.
According to Statistics Canada, 3.5 million Canadians continue to suffer symptoms five years after the global outbreak of COVID-19.
Nicole Rogers, a long COVID sufferer who battled the rain to attend the protest, said has been plagued with “absolutely disabling fatigue” since she first contracted the virus in 2020.
“I need to lie down between 17 and 22 hours a day, every single day,” she said.
Rogers said she attended the event to raise awareness for the millions of Canadians who contracted the virus and never recovered, and “only deteriorated” as a result of the illness.
“COVID-19 is not over, we have just stopped counting. That doesn’t mean that it’s actually gone. The cases are just as high as they were last year, and the year before,” she said.
“By your third infection, there is a one in three chance of developing long COVID. It is still very much an important issue.”
Rogers said long COVID sufferers have together reported over 200 symptoms, ranging from constant exhaustion to brain damage and cognitive issues.
Outside the gallery multicoloured placards had been laid out on its steps, depicting messages that detailed the various experiences of sufferers in Vancouver
“I was an avid triathlete, marathoner, cyclist, traveller and productive member of society. Now I am housebound and disabled because of long Covid,” one read.
Another said: “I have lost many of my friends, who don’t understand my illness. My parents are in their 70s and they have more energy than I do. They are out living their lives while I watch.”
Protester Becki Surman, who described her own symptoms as being debilitating fatigue and constant pain, said the long-term effects of the virus had resulted in her requiring a wheelchair.
“I am disabled by my symptoms. There are 20 other symptoms I get regularly, including headaches, nausea, brain fog. I forget things all the time,” she said.
Surman said it had been five years “with no help from the government, no research,” and she was there to campaign for change. One precaution she would like the public to keep on taking, she said, is the wearing of masks to help stop the disease continuing to be transmitted.
“We need to educate our physicians,” added Rogers.
“We need help, we’re far behind in Canada.”
