BBC health journalist Laura Foster can’t get the first days of the pandemic out of her head; the stunned silence of the newsroom as the first lockdown was announced, the chaos and noise at the supermarket and the empty streets of London.
But even though she was a reporter covering every twist and turn of the story, she still can’t remember the first time she heard about long Covid.
The world was so engrossed by the immediate threat that few paid attention to what was happening around the edges; the people whose lives didn’t move on after that little red line disappeared from their test and whose symptoms never went away.
And that problem was getting bigger and bigger by the day.
We visit the UK’s very first long Covid clinic where healthcare workers started learning about this life-shattering disease in the hospital car park - and we find out why recovering from long Covid is a lot like training for the Olympics.
What did we know back then – and what do we know now? And are we really any closer to seeing the end of long Covid?
Details of organisations offering information and support with long Covid are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Presenter: Laura Foster Producer: Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris
Emergency abdominal surgery, Thermometers, Vitamins and dementia, Risk
Off-patent Drugs Bill, Pre-diabetes, Sepsis, All-cause mortality
Asthma inhalers, Knee arthroscopy, Pelvic girdle pain, Medically unexplained symptoms
Tax on sugary drinks, Low libido in women, Europe's largest robotic pharmacy
Gestational diabetes, Low-carb diets, Needle pain
Future of 7-day GP Access Pilots, Mers, Laughing Gas Health Risks
Cervical Screening in Older Women; Hepatitis E in Nepal; Enlarged Prostate; Significance
Flibanserin; Strokes in young people; Outdoor swimming; Research terminology - Causation v Association
Feedback on Teenage Pregnancy, Smoothies, AMD, Hospital Beds, Frailty, Feedback on Gallstones, Moles
Avastin, Peanut Allergy, Bowel Bacteria and Faecal Transplants
Cigarette Packets, Sex Education, Gallstones, Cosmetic Surgery
Saturated Fats, Moles, Egg Freezing
Drug Driving; End of Life Care; Smart Drugs
Heart and Exercise, Smoking and Alcohol, Weight Management, Hepatitis C
Low NHS morale; Flying when pregnant; Sugary drinks & menarche; FGM
NHS Satisfaction Survey; NHS & cancer; Headphones volume; P4 Medicine
Drugs link to dementia, Gluten-free, Heart disease in women, Social jetlag, Boilers on prescription
Mutant Flu, Weight-Loss Surgery, Young Men and Body Image, CVID, Dental Check-ups, Doctors' Example, Dry January Findings
Dry January and Nalmefene, PLAC Blood Test for Inflammation, Dental Check-ups
A&E in winter, Fruit juice, Opioid drugs and chronic pain, No evidence, Obesity
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good Mood Revolution
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins