New Report Demands Urgent Action: Canada Failing High-Risk Populations in COVID-19 Treatment
Experts Warn: "Stop Thinking of COVID as Just Another Respiratory Virus"
MONTREAL, Feb. 25, 2025 /CNW/ - COVID-19 is far from over, yet Canada's most vulnerable patients are being left behind. A new report from RESPIPLUS exposes critical failures in COVID-19 care for high-risk populations, revealing widespread underuse of life-saving treatments, inconsistencies in provincial healthcare policies, and a dangerous misconception that COVID-19 is no longer a serious threat. The report, based on expert analysis and real-world data, highlights a staggering statistic: hospital stays for COVID-19 patients in Canada still average 24 days—three times longer than other respiratory viruses. Despite this, only 16.5% of high-risk patients were prescribed Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir), a proven antiviral that reduces hospitalizations and deaths.
The problem isn't just access—it's awareness, hesitation, and miscommunication. Healthcare practitioners often struggle to determine eligibility due to complex risk assessments and concerns over drug interactions. Many patients, meanwhile, fail to seek treatment, believing COVID-19 is "mild" or that treatment isn't necessary.
"Stop thinking of COVID as 'just another respiratory virus,'" warns Dr. David Strain, Associate Professor of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Exeter and clinical lead for COVID-19 services. "COVID is an inflammatory and cardiovascular disease that enters through the lungs. It affects the heart, the brain, and every system in the body. If we don't start treating it as such, we will continue to see unnecessary deaths and long-term disability."
The consequences extend beyond hospitalizations. Many long-term care patients who survive COVID-19 experience cognitive decline, falls, an increase in frailty, and an increased need for institutionalization or support from their family. Mental health complications, including delirium in older patients, remain a major but often overlooked crisis. If Canada fails to act now, these long-term effects could cripple healthcare systems for years to come.
A Broken System: Rural, Indigenous, and High-Risk Populations Left Behind
Canada's approach to COVID-19 treatment is exacerbating inequalities. Depending on the province, access to lifesaving treatment ranges from relatively broad criteria in Ontario to highly restrictive policies elsewhere, where only the most severely immunocompromised qualify. In some rural and Indigenous communities, a lack of healthcare infrastructure makes access even more challenging.
"We need clear, consistent eligibility criteria and a healthcare system that prioritizes early intervention—because by the time these patients reach the hospital, it's often too late" says Dr. Jean Bourbeau, world-renowned COPD expert and scientific advisor to the report.
Solutions Exist - But Canada Must Act Now
The IDEAL (Identify, Direct, Educate, Act, Learn) framework presented in the report outlines an actionable strategy to close these gaps. It emphasizes proactive identification of high-risk individuals, improved physician education, streamlined treatment access, and long-term patient engagement.
"This is a fixable problem," says Michael Boivin, pharmacist and co-author of the report. "If pharmacists and doctors were better equipped to navigate drug interactions and provincial guidelines, we could increase treatment uptake overnight. The time to act is now. COVID-19 may not dominate the headlines like it once did, but that doesn't mean it's gone."
The report calls for an aggressive campaign to change perceptions about COVID-19, ensuring patients and physicians alike understand that early treatment can mean the difference between mild illness and severe complications—or even death. The IDEAL White Paper is available for download at: https://chroniclungdiseases.com/en/optimizing-covid19-treatment-high-risk-populations/
About RESPIPLUS
Respiplus, a Canadian non-profit with 20 years of experience, develops high-quality training programs for chronic respiratory diseases. Their mission is to improve diagnosis, enhance treatment strategies, and advance respiratory health outcomes.
SOURCE RESPIPLUS
Media Inquiries: Maria Sedeno, Executive Director, RESPIPLUS, [email protected]
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