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
Bats and Rabies; Hip Dysplasia in babies; Online health tips; Clinical Law
Anti-inflammatories and ovulation; Probiotics and Parkinson's; Blood interval and patient forums online
Declining male fertility, Diagnosing urinary tract infections in the elderly, Guide to health websites
Obesity and Cancer campaign; Intelligent liver function tests; Getting reliable information from websites
Deprescribing
Moving the goalposts in research, Involving parents in the care of premature babies, Feedback
E-cigs, Prehabilitation before surgery, Hospital safety
CBD oil, Dental phobia, Gout
Deprescribing long-term opioids, Diagnosing concussion
Home fetal heart monitoring, Deconditioning in hospital, Alcohol harm paradox, Pre-eclampsia feedback
Online GP consultations, Pre-eclampsia and could aspirin treat cancer?
Migraine, Iron overload, Redefining low-risk cancers
Genes and confidentiality; sore throats and cancer; diet for epilepsy; shaving for hospital drips
Unproven IVF add-ons; Running injuries; DNA analysis on the NHS
Conflict of interest, Living with a stoma, Diet books
Drug shortages, Eye drops for myopia, Is muscle more dense than fat? Sarcopenia
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure pills and cancer, Aortic aneurysm repair, Sinks and hospital infection
Epipens & Autoinjectors; Meningitis B Bedside Test; Age Related Macular Degeneration
France Delists Alzheimer's Drugs, Quality of Life After Hip Fracture, Prostate Cancer
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