The health outcomes of Canadians who have contracted COVID-19

Earlier this year, in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Statistics Canada asked Canadians if they had tested positive for COVID-19 or suspected they had an infection since the onset of the pandemic and, if so, what was their health outcome.

Almost one-third (32.0%) of Canadians aged 18 years and older told us they had tested positive for COVID-19 by the end of May 2022, while an additional 8.3% suspected they had COVID-19. These results, however, understate the true number of infections, as some people who were infected may not have been aware that they had contracted COVID-19 or had tested negative.

Nearly four in five Canadian adults who tested positive or suspected they had COVID-19 reported mild to moderate symptoms with their first infection

Just over one-third (34.2%) of Canadians who tested positive or suspected they had COVID-19 rated their symptoms as mild (no direct impact on daily life), while 43.9% rated their symptoms as moderate (some impact on daily life).

A further 5.2% told us they had no symptoms, while 16.7% rated their symptoms as severe (significant impact on daily life).

Women were more likely than men to report moderate (46.9% versus 40.9%) or severe (18.0% versus 15.2%) symptoms.

About 1.4 million Canadian adults told us they had symptoms at least three months after a positive COVID-19 test or suspected infection

Some people may experience persistent, recurring or new symptoms beyond the acute infection stage. The terms “longer-term COVID-19 symptoms” or “long COVID” are defined here as those occurring three or more months after a self-reported positive COVID-19 test or suspected infection.

One in seven Canadian adults (14.8%) who had a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection reported having symptoms for three months or longer, or long COVID. This translates into 1.4 million Canadian adults or 4.6% of the Canadian population aged 18 years and older.

Those with long COVID generally recover following the initial infection, but symptoms return with most reporting fatigue (72.1%), followed by a cough (39.3%), shortness of breath (38.5%) and brain fog (32.9%).

Women (18.0%) were more likely than men (11.6%) to report having long COVID. There were no significant differences among age groups.

Almost half of Canadians who reported having long COVID had symptoms for one year or longer

Just under half (47.3%) of Canadians who reported having long COVID had symptoms for one year or longer, and 21.3% said that their symptoms often or always limited their daily activities.

Almost three in four working Canadian adults and students with long COVID (74.1%) missed, on average, 20 days of work or school because of their symptoms. These findings are consistent with results from other surveys and international evidence.

With the emergence of the Omicron variant, fewer Canadian adults report having long COVID

In December 2021, the Omicron strain became the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 infecting Canadians. Omicron is less virulent but more contagious than previous strains.

One-quarter of Canadian adults (25.8%) who reported a positive test or suspected infection before December 2021 had long COVID. For those contracting COVID-19 in December 2021 or later, 10.5% had long COVID.