Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CanCOV)

The Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CANCOV) is the first Canadian study to provide a comprehensive evaluation of early to 1-year outcomes in 2000 patients with COVID-19 infection and their family caregivers. This study will be conducted in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, the hardest hit provinces in Canada. CANCOV is built on the GEMINI (GEneral Internal Medicine INpatient Initiative) and RECOVER (REhabilitation and reCOVERy after critical illness) established research platforms. Through the CANCOV program of research, we will: 1) characterize the myriad health consequences of COVID-19 including their short and long-term outcomes (recruited from the community and hospitals) and those of their family caregivers, 2) determine the clinical risk factors, timing and pace of recovery across the spectrum of COVID-19 disease, 3) provide detailed clinical descriptions for genetic, basic science, translational and multi-omics research inquiry, and 4) facilitate the creation of prediction models and tools using machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as secondary clinical studies. Our senior and diverse team of investigators, many with extensive research experience during SARS, will shorten the time to translate knowledge into practice through multiple rapid knowledge to action cycles throughout this project. Insights from this large-scale project will enable Canada to improve COVID-19 clinical care and decision-making regarding service provision, and response to this global pandemic.