Last updated: February 6, 2023
Did you know Canadian Medical Association (CMA) members have access to a team of skilled medical librarians who can support you by searching on your behalf, teaching you effective search strategies or training you to use our resources? Get the latest evidence and save time, so you can focus on what’s important to you.
CMA Joule’s Ask a Librarian team is committed to curating free evidence-based resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to update the Ask a Librarian: COVID-19 and the Ask a Librarian: COVID-19 vaccines posts with current clinical summaries, article collections, guidance and more.
Here we focus on information sources specific to post‒COVID-19 condition — also known as long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19 (PACS), post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), long-term effects of COVID and chronic COVID.
On Oct. 6, 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) published a clinical case definition of long-COVID based on Delphi methodology. It was developed in consultation with hundreds of patients, researchers, external experts and WHO staff. The standardized definition includes 12 domains to help clinicians in all settings identify patients more easily and to advance recognition and research:
Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms and that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others and generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new onset following initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time.
According to the Post-COVID-19 Condition in Canada: What we know, what we don’t know, and a framework for action (Pre-Report), as of summer of 2022, more than 1.4 million Canadians (14.8 per cent of adults who have contracted COVID-19) reported that they experienced symptoms three months or more after their initial infection. A recent McMaster University-led study reported that 25 per cent of long COVID patients still had at least one of the three most common symptoms (coughing, fatigue and breathlessness) after one year.
Jump to:
- Clinical summaries
- Evidence reviews
- Articles and article collections
- Guidelines and other information
- Patient information
- Pre-populated literature searches
Clinical summaries
DynaMed
(Included with membership. Access DynaMed now) COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus): see Long COVID in Complications section.
BMJ Best Practice
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Under “Complications” see “post COVID-19 syndrome (long COVID)”.
UpToDate
Evidence reviews
American Family Physician
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Daily Research Briefs Search "long COVID" and/or other synonyms.
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH)
Evidence on Post-COVID-19 Condition: current evidence and resources on post-COVID-19 condition
COVID-19 Evidence Synthesis Network
Evidence Synthesis Briefing Note: The Assessment and Treatment of Post-COVID-19 Condition. April 11, 2022.
Evidence Synthesis Briefing Note: Understanding The Post-COVID Condition April 1, 2022.
McMaster University
COVID-END: Care Models for Long COVID - A Rapid Systematic Review. May 27, 2021.
COVID-19 Evidence Alerts: Weekly update of high-quality clinical studies with free email notifications. Search “long COVID” and/or other synonyms.
Articles and article collections
CMAJ articles
Assessing common and potentially modifiable symptoms of post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in adults. Kieran L. Quinn, Fahad Razak, Angela M. Cheung. CMAJ Jan 2023, 195 (2) E76-E77; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.220823
Diagnosing post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in adults. Kieran L. Quinn, Fahad Razak, Angela M. Cheung. CMAJ Jan 2023, 195 (2) E78-E79; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.220818
Treating common and potentially modifiable symptoms of post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in adults. Kieran L. Quinn, Angela M. Cheung, Fahad Razak. CMAJ Jan 2023, 195 (2) E80-E81; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.220824
The evolving picture of long COVID. Diana Duong. CMAJ Jun 2022, 194 (24) E850-E851; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.1096004
Unpacking “long COVID”. Terry Murray. CMAJ March 01, 2021, 193 (9) E318-E319; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.1095923
Even mild COVID-19 may have long-term brain impacts. Diana Duong. CMAJ August 30, 2021, 193 (34) E1360-E1361; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.1095958
Guidelines and other information
International
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Post-COVID Conditions: Information for Healthcare Providers
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19
World Health Organization – Post COVID-19 condition
National
CMA Joule – CPG Infobase: Clinical Practice Guidelines on Long COVID
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) - LONG COVID Recommendations
Center for Effective Practice – COVID-19: Clinical Guidance for Primary Care Providers - Long-term symptoms / Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)
Government of Canada – COVID-19 for health professionals: Post COVID-19 condition
Government of Canada – Office of the Chief Science Advisor - Post-COVID-19 Condition in Canada: What we know, what we don’t know, and a framework for action (Pre-Report). December 14, 2022.
Viral Neuro Exploration, COVID Long Haulers Support Group Canada, and Neurological Health Charities Canada – Report on Pan-Canadian Long Covid Impact Survey. June 8, 2021.
Statistics Canada - The Daily — Long-term symptoms in Canadian adults who tested positive for COVID-19 or suspected an infection, January 2020 to August 2022. October 17, 2022.
Provincial
British Columbia
Provincial Health Services Authority – Post-COVID-19 Recovery Care
Alberta
Alberta Health Services – Recovery & Rehabilitation After COVID-19: Resources for Health Professionals December 21, 2022.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Health Authority – Long-COVID information repository to support Saskatchewan decision-makers during the COVID pandemic
Manitoba
Shared Health Manitoba - Long COVID / Post COVID-19 Condition
Ontario
Ontario College of Family physicians (OCFP) - Post-COVID Condition (Long COVID)
Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table - Understanding the Post COVID-19 Condition (Long COVID) in Adults and the Expected Burden for Ontario. September 7, 2022.
Ontario Health - Post–COVID-19 Condition: Guidance for Primary Care. December, 2022.
Quebec
CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS - Long COVID
Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux. Affections post-COVID-19 (COVID LONGUE)
New Brunswick
Government of New Brunswick - Post COVID-19 Condition
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Health. My COVID Recovery – your source of health information after having COVID-19
Prince Edward Island
Government of Prince Edward Island - Post-COVID Condition
Yukon
Government of Yukon - Find support for post COVID-19 condition
Patient information
Breathe / Canadian Lung Association - Long COVID | Canadian Lung Association
CanCov – Patient resources to help people cope with the disease
Government of Canada – Post COVID-19 condition
Johns Hopkins Medicine – Long COVID: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
Long Covid Resources Canada - Includes Long COVID information, patient stories and provincial supports
Mayo Clinic – COVID-19: Long-term effects
Patient Led Research Collaborative - COVID-19 Patient Experience Survey
University Health Network. Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto. COVID: COVID-19 Resources for Patients and Families: Long COVID-19: Tips for Recovery
Pre-populated literature searches
Long COVID search: LitCovid is a curated literature hub for tracking current scientific information about the 2019 novel Coronavirus. Updated daily.
Long COVID search: COVID-19 Portfolio - NIH’s comprehensive, expert-curated source for publications and preprints related to COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Need more information or have a more focused clinical question on Post‒COVID-19 Condition or any other clinical topic of interest? Contact the Ask a Librarian team to request a literature search.
This material is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. The opinions stated by the authors are made in a personal capacity and do not necessarily reflect those of the Canadian Medical Association and its subsidiaries including CMA Joule.