5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 17,2021 insidehalton.com For a Free consultation call oakville: 905.842.2022 ToronTo: 416.644.3999 Denied Disabled Benefits? I canhelp. My teamof experienced lawyers can help youwith: •Disability Claims Short-TermDisability, long-TermDisability, CPP •Car accidents •Slip and Falls •Wrongful Dismissal Injured? I don't get paid unless I getYoumoneY. oFFiCeS in oakville and ToronTo eMail: sspadafora@slspc.ca Disability and EmploymEnt law Founded in 1991 Peter Watson MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI Jennifer Watson MBA, CFP®, CIM® Accepting new clients. Please visit www.watsoninvestments.com to book a free consultation. Offering safe virtual meetings and e-signatures for new client onboarding. "Our clients enjoy talking about their retirement dreams and we enjoy helping them get there." Peter & Jennifer info@watsoninvestments.com (905) 842 -2100 ext. 103 COVID Long-Haulers Support Group Canada, founded by Oakville's Su- sie Goulding, recently par- ticipated in the "largest publicly available survey" to date of people living with debilitating coronavirus after-effects. Among the 1,000 CO- VID-19 long-haulers sur- veyed, it was found that brain fog, or cognitive im- pairment, was among the top reported symptoms, along with fatigue and shortness of breath. Other common symptoms includ- ed headaches, dizziness and anxiety, with almost 50 per cent of participants having experienced linger- ing symptoms for 11 months or longer. "It is our hope that the data collected from this survey will highlight the implications of Long CO- VID on brain health," said Goulding, who contracted COVID-19 more than a year ago and is still not symp- tom-free. "Creating aware- ness through lived experi- ences and patient collabo- ration will magnify the ur- gency to act on funding for research and rehabilita- tion of long-haulers." The survey was a part- nership between Viral Neuro Exploration (VI- NEx), Neurological Health Charities Canada and Goulding's support group, to build awareness and in- crease funding for re- search and care for this group, stated a press re- lease issued June 3. "We must make the study of viral impacts on the brain a priority, begin- ning with COVID-19 survi- vors who need answers," said VINEx global director Inez Jabalpurwala. "One or more clinical trials of sufficient scale, with pa- tients followed over time, would generate data need- ed to better understand Long COVID and the neu- rological and psychologi- cal consequences of this in- fection. What we learn from more research on Long COVID will also ac- celerate our understand- ing of how viruses and fu- ture pandemics may affect brain health, including as possible triggers for neuro- degenerative diseases." It is estimated that 25 to 35 per cent of COVID-19 pa- tients are experiencing the long-term effects of the vi- rus. The COVID-19 count in Canada as of June 2 is 1,383,214, which means that anywhere from 345,803 to 484,125 people may have been or are currently liv- ing with Long COVID in this country, according to VINEx. The survey underlines earlier observations that the virus can cause neuro- logical damage, which per- sists months after the ini- tial infection, said Neuro- logical Health Charities Canada manager Deanna Groetzinger. "It clearly indicates that Canada needs action on brain health in COVID and post-COVID contexts," said Groetzinger. Detailed findings from the survey are "forthcom- ing" and will be available on the websites of the part- nering organizations. COVID LONG-HAULER HOPES SURVEY WILL PROMPT ACTION Brain fog is one of top lingering side effects for COVID long-haulers, of which Susie Goulding is one. Susie Goulding photo NEWS