Symptoms, Functional Impact and Perceived Healthcare Barriers Experienced by Racialized Communities Living with Long...

Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) or Long COVID has been shown to be more prevalent among racialized communities. The symptoms and lived experiences of racialized communities living with Long COVID in Canada has yet to be reported.

To describe the symptoms, functional impact, and perceived barriers and facilitators to treatment and/or rehabilitation for racialized communities living with Long COVID in Canada. To further explore whether there are differences across racial groups (including comparison to non-racialized/ White) with regards to symptoms, functional impact, and perceived healthcare barriers.

Convergent parallel mixed-methods design, which included quantitative measures and qualitative semi-structured interviews with 49 participants, with a large proportion (59%) of participants self-identifying as racialized (predominantly Black and South Asian).

The rates of severe fatigue and clinically significant depression for the entire sample were high at 88% and 78% respectively. Long COVID had major negative functional impacts, with 27% of participants not being able to return to full-time work since contracting COVID-19. The biggest barrier to treatment and rehabilitation was dismissal by healthcare providers, which was exacerbated by factors including gender identity (being a woman) and race. Black participants reported more discrimination compared to White participants, which correlated with more severe depression.

Less dismissal of symptoms by healthcare providers and greater mental health support are needed, especially for racialized communities living with Long COVID. There is also a need for more employer and government financial support and for healthcare organizations to address discrimination and anti-Black racism in healthcare.