The Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CANCOV) is a platform observational study that provides a comprehensive evaluation of early to 2-year outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and their family caregivers. CANCOV is built on the GEMINI and RECOVER (REhabilitation and reCOVERy after Critical Illness) program networks. The interdisciplinary investigator group is comprised of clinicians from different specialties and scientists from different disciplines.
The overall objectives are to better understand both short and long-term outcomes in patients and their caregivers, and the predictors of those outcomes. The study aims to fully characterize their genetic and clinical risk factors, functional and neuropsychological status, return to work, and pattern and cost of healthcare utilization.
The study will recruit 2000 (1000 non-hospitalized and 1000 hospitalized) patients and 500 family caregivers from the four hardest-hit provinces in Canada: Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
CANCOV directly addresses the five research priorities of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for COVID-19 Research:
1) To accelerate the availability of high-quality and real-time evidence, we are developing a generalizable and comprehensive 1-year follow-up detailed outcomes dataset for extensive data sharing and collaboration.
2) To develop effective interventions by reorienting or amplifying existing platforms, we are using the multi-centre GEMINI and the national RECOVER networks to improve care of COVID-19 patients and facilitate recovery.
3) To enable Canadian engagement and coordination, we are working with >100 Canadian investigators, various COVID-19 biobanks and the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) to harmonize protocols and to coordinate our efforts in the fight against COVID-19 so that maximum return for investment can be realized.
4) To provide evidence to inform care within Canada and internationally, we are linking multi-omic data with detailed clinical outcomes data and using artificial intelligence to shed light on predictors of outcomes.
5) To enhance collaborative efforts in Canada, we work with Genome Canada (CGen), Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCoGen), CITF, Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath), Canadian Frailty Network (CFN), Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, Canadian Critical Care Society, Canadian Community ICU Research Network and Critical Care Ontario Services.