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Recovered coronavirus patients sometimes beset by complications (Dr. James Russell, SPH)

(Photo credit: Canada.com)

Doctors are trying to understand why some people who recover from COVID-19 are left with serious long-term side effects.

VICTORIA — Doctors in B.C. and across the globe are trying to understand why some people who require critical hospital treatment for COVID-19 are left with serious long-term side effects after they recover.

The complications are worse for those who have been treated in an ICU, and particularly if they’ve been on a ventilator, said Dr. James Russell, a professor in medicine at the University of B.C. Overall, about five per cent of people who contract COVID-19 end up in an ICU, he said.

Post-ICU patients will likely have widespread problems with their lungs, muscles, brain or heart, said Russell, who is also a principal investigator at the St. Paul’s Hospital Centre for Heart Lung Innovation.

Click here for the full story on Canada.com.

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