B.C. long-COVID clinic eligibility too rigid, Burnaby woman says
Posted February 24, 2022 9:51 am.
A Burnaby woman is desperate for treatment after she tested positive for COVID-19 in December, and has been dealing with the aftermath ever since, with little help.
Kayli Jamieson says she has been struggling with long-COVID and is frustrated she isn’t eligible for a recovery clinic until she reaches three months post-infection. She says it has put her life on hold.
“[It’s] extremely annoying to feel I’m going through debilitating symptoms like [struggling to go] up stairs. My own house is such a struggle. I can’t do normal things,” Jamieson said.
Jamieson doesn’t meet the other requirements like being hospitalized or having constant breathing issues. But even though her symptoms might not be serious enough to warrant acceptance into a clinic right away, she says she and her doctor know what she is experiencing is incapacitating.
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“It’s honestly just been miserable. Every day waking up and doing a self assessment like, ‘Okay, is today going to be a bad day or can I get through this?’ And some days, I wake up already feeling so weak and my hands are already shaking and vibrating,” she said.
Jamieson adds she often has to push herself through class or her job at the library due to her constant fatigue.
Now, with more than 4.5 weeks to go before she could qualify for a recovery clinic, Jamieson is wondering whether the province will open eligibility for those like her waiting in limbo for help.
“I know I’m not alone in experiencing this because I’ve seen like some discourse on Twitter and some Facebook long-COVID groups [that] they don’t qualify for it. And some places may actually ask for a PCR test for proof of positivity, but I had only gotten a rapid test so now I’m unsure what that’s going to mean for me,” she said.
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During the peak of the Omicron variant, B.C.’s testing limits reached capacity and the province limited PCR testing only to those with severe symptoms. Many who went to a testing site were given a rapid test instead, which is less accurate than a molecular test.
B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the reason there is a waiting period is that early research shows many people’s symptoms resolve in 12 weeks.
“One thing that is clear is there a variety of different symptoms that have been specifically associated with people having long-COVID. It’s a virus that affects more than the respiratory system. [It can have an effect] on our blood vessels, on our heart, and our neurological system,” Henry said.
But Jamieson wonders why the province isn’t creating more space for people to seek treatment if it is understood that many are dealing with daily consequences of the virus.
“Consider the sect of the population that are in limbo and know there are others that have been dealing with this for much longer than me because they don’t fit into the exact criteria. You have a broad spectrum or range of symptoms that patients could be experiencing.”
