Understanding the impacts of structural racism on (im)migrant and racialized populations living with Long-Covid in Peel Region: A community-centred approach

Kathleen Wilson, University of Toronto Mississauga; Tracey Galloway, University of Toronto Mississauga; Matthew Adams, University of Toronto Mississauga; Madeleine Mant, University of Toronto Mississauga; Ghazal Fazli, University of Toronto Scarborough

This project addresses two urgent, yet underexamined issues in Canada – structural racism and long COVID (i.e., Post Covid Condition (PCC)). The overarching goal of the research is to identify solutions to PCC management that address the intersecting social, structural, and health needs of immigrant and racialized populations in Peel Region, Ontario.

Research Objectives:

  1. Examine how everyday forms of structural racism shape differential experiences of short and long Covid among (im)migrant and racialized residents in Peel Region.
  2. Assess how PCC is embodied in the everyday realities of (im)migrant and racialized residents.
  3. Build capacity and expertise in research methods, research implementation and data synthesis within (im)migrant and racialized populations in Peel Region.

This will generate research outcomes that:

  1. Enhance understanding of intersecting systems of inequities and their differential health and wellbeing impacts among (im)migrant and racialized men and women in and outside population centers.
  2. Bring attention to neglected forms of structural racism borne out of chronicity, vulnerability, and intersectionality as individuals learn to live with COVID-19 and make use of health services.

This project directly relates to equitable pandemic recovery because it supports knowledge generation that addresses broader health and societal impacts of COVID-19 that disproportionately affect equity deserving communities. Knowledge gleaned can assist in the development of effective policies, strategies, and interventions to drive equitable recovery and reduce the broader health and societal impacts of the pandemic. "