Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Maybe I'll take those in that order.
We at the agency are working to monitor and build an evidence base to inform public health decision-making with respect to post-COVID or long COVID. We are working closely with a number of partners to make sure that we build that evidence base, starting with Statistics Canada. We are going to be launching a population-based survey on post-COVID conditions to look at and identify some evidence gaps and try to estimate what percentage of the Canadian population is currently experiencing post-COVID conditions. Then we would propose to do a follow-up survey, a second survey with Stats Canada.
We're also working with the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and with the Canadian Paediatric Society to look at some options for studies looking at the impact on children. I think we'll be in a position later this fall to be able to detail the full scope of the work that's under way. We're also monitoring a number of systemic reviews that are happening worldwide.
In terms of the evidence and how it relates to vaccination, the evidence review by the agency found that the prevalence of post-COVID-19 conditions is approximately 30% to 40% in individuals who were not hospitalized for their initial COVID infection. The current evidence suggests that the prevalence is even higher for those who were hospitalized during the acute phase compared to those who weren't. There is a strong indication that vaccination helps to prevent long-term or post-COVID conditions.