We’re back with our season 7 premiere, and we’re kicking things off with a topic that we’ve wanted to cover for a long time, even if the topic itself hasn’t been around all that long. That’s right, we’re taking on Long Covid. When SARS-CoV-2 began making its way around the world in 2020, it was thought to cause a mild illness in most people, with complete recovery a couple of weeks after first getting infected. But just a short time into the pandemic, people began to report debilitating symptoms lingering for months after recovery was “supposed” to happen. What started out as a trickle of reports soon turned into a tsunami, and this condition, which came to be known as Long Covid, transformed our understanding of this viral infection. In this episode, we explore how the concept of Long Covid was defined by those who experience it, who also continue to advocate for better treatment, more research, and real compassion from medical professionals. We examine what we currently know about the biology of this condition, and delve into some of the most promising research avenues that may give us a greater understanding of or ability to treat Long Covid. This story is still being written, but already it can tell us so much about our concepts of infectious disease and how the medical system treats those with “invisible” illness.
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Ep 122 Asthma: A phlegmy episode
Special Episode: Ed Yong & An Immense World
Ep 121 Tularemia: Hare today, gone tomorrow
Special Episode: Deborah Blum & The Poison Squad
Ep 120 Acetaminophen/Paracetamol: Pain. Killer.
Special Episode: Dr. Andrew Wehrman & The Contagion of Liberty
Ep 119 Marburg virus: Too fast, too furious
Special Episode: Dr. Steven Thrasher & The Viral Underclass
Ep 118 Asbestos: Corruption and cancer and corporate greed, oh my!
Special Episode: Mary Roach & Fuzz
Ep 117 Bedbugs: Bug-bitten and bedeviled
Special Episode: Dr. Kate Clancy & Period
Ep 116 It's never lupus (except this time)
Ep 115 Altitude Sickness: Balloons though?
Special Episode: Angela Saini & Superior
Ep 114 Listeria: It put dairy on the map
Special Episode: Sarah Everts & The Joy of Sweat
Ep 113 Vitamin D: The D stands for drama
Special Episode: David Quammen & Breathless
Ep 112 Epilepsy: It’s always the phlegm
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