1 00:00:08,055 --> 00:00:11,505 It's 11 weeks since I started with a fever and some 2 00:00:11,530 --> 00:00:13,397 symptoms of coronavirus. 3 00:00:13,422 --> 00:00:18,271 I'm Lucy Adams, a BBC correspondent. 4 00:00:18,296 --> 00:00:21,116 I've got a really hoarse sore throat and a headache. 5 00:00:21,141 --> 00:00:22,866 I got Covid last year. 6 00:00:22,891 --> 00:00:28,076 But never got better. 7 00:00:31,685 --> 00:00:34,426 I've been ill for eight... 8 00:00:34,451 --> 00:00:38,147 I've been ill for eight months now. 9 00:00:38,172 --> 00:00:43,030 Getting really fed up on it. 10 00:00:43,055 --> 00:00:48,225 Like a million others in the UK, I have long Covid. 11 00:00:48,292 --> 00:00:50,345 Banging headache, aching all over, earache, sore throat, 12 00:00:50,370 --> 00:00:51,546 my chest is killing me. 13 00:00:51,571 --> 00:00:56,421 I'm absolutely exhausted. 14 00:00:56,446 --> 00:01:00,191 I want to know why we're feeling so bad... 15 00:01:00,216 --> 00:01:03,785 Take a deep breath. 16 00:01:03,810 --> 00:01:09,001 What's behind this baffling condition... 17 00:01:09,376 --> 00:01:12,706 If we knew that, I feel like we'd have quite a lot of goodies 18 00:01:12,731 --> 00:01:15,551 to offer people to maybe, you know, make them better. 19 00:01:15,576 --> 00:01:18,866 ...and with fears of far more infections as Covid 20 00:01:18,891 --> 00:01:23,661 restrictions are lifted, will I ever get better? 21 00:01:33,656 --> 00:01:35,905 DOORBELL RINGS 22 00:01:35,930 --> 00:01:37,116 How was school? 23 00:01:37,141 --> 00:01:38,941 Good! 24 00:01:38,966 --> 00:01:40,631 We did mother's day stuff for you. 25 00:01:40,656 --> 00:01:41,986 Did you? It's secret! 26 00:01:42,011 --> 00:01:46,035 Don't tell me then! 27 00:01:46,060 --> 00:01:49,576 I live in Glasgow with my husband Andy and daughters Nuala and Niamh. 28 00:01:49,601 --> 00:01:54,706 He usually picks them up from school because I struggle to. 29 00:01:54,776 --> 00:01:59,956 I tend to go to bed a few times each day. 30 00:02:07,086 --> 00:02:08,471 When I'm up, I look fine, 31 00:02:08,496 --> 00:02:10,191 but I get more and more tired, 32 00:02:10,216 --> 00:02:13,147 and symptoms come in. 33 00:02:13,172 --> 00:02:18,030 So like shaking. 34 00:02:18,055 --> 00:02:19,471 I'm normally in bed between 1?3. 35 00:02:19,496 --> 00:02:23,116 I try to get up for the kids coming back. 36 00:02:23,141 --> 00:02:26,426 You making this for mother's day? What are you making? 37 00:02:26,451 --> 00:02:31,475 The sky because my mummy loves the sky and birds. 38 00:02:34,526 --> 00:02:39,546 Is Mummy able to come outside with you a lot? 39 00:02:39,611 --> 00:02:44,271 No, cos sometimes she's in bed and sometimes she just walks. 40 00:02:44,296 --> 00:02:47,351 Yeah. 41 00:02:47,376 --> 00:02:52,601 I'm not the only one in the family who's ill. 42 00:02:53,451 --> 00:02:53,581 Did 43 00:02:55,321 --> 00:02:55,546 Office 44 00:02:57,576 --> 00:03:02,721 Yes. 45 00:03:04,055 --> 00:03:09,236 Why did you go to the headteacher's office at breaktime? 46 00:03:11,296 --> 00:03:12,941 Because I had long Covid. 47 00:03:12,966 --> 00:03:15,271 And you had to go and rest? 48 00:03:15,296 --> 00:03:17,147 Nuala, who's eight, also has long Covid. 49 00:03:17,172 --> 00:03:19,546 She has good and bad clays, with bouts of fatigue. 50 00:03:19,571 --> 00:03:21,941 An estimated 33,000 children in the UK have long Covid. 51 00:03:21,966 --> 00:03:27,186 I'm pretty exhausted. 52 00:03:27,321 --> 00:03:30,426 Trying to hold down a full time and quite demanding job and then 53 00:03:30,451 --> 00:03:35,676 Lucy's illness is so unpredictable. 54 00:03:39,172 --> 00:03:44,397 Well, I say that, but it's predictable in the fact 55 00:03:48,376 --> 00:03:50,706 that she does half hour or a one hour activity 56 00:03:50,731 --> 00:03:51,751 and then she's exhausted. 57 00:03:51,776 --> 00:03:53,341 Me! That's beautiful, Neave! 58 00:03:53,366 --> 00:03:58,591 Look at that. 59 00:03:58,851 --> 00:04:04,035 You kind of become a bit of a spectator. 60 00:04:05,656 --> 00:04:10,030 I feel much older than I am which is difficult, 61 00:04:10,055 --> 00:04:15,256 and it's really hard on Andy as well, 62 00:04:15,796 --> 00:04:20,976 cos he has to juggle work and juggle being an entertainer and a cook. 63 00:04:25,796 --> 00:04:29,126 And he worries cos I do too much and my symptoms then flare up. 64 00:04:29,151 --> 00:04:32,721 You just have to have admiration for her ? the way she has handled it 65 00:04:32,746 --> 00:04:37,946 psychologically ? going from someone who is out cycling to work everyday, 66 00:04:39,670 --> 00:04:42,521 up mountains at the weekends, out running with the kids, to someone 67 00:04:42,546 --> 00:04:47,745 who has got the activity level of someone maybe 30 years older. 68 00:04:49,341 --> 00:04:54,537 At least one in eight people who get Covid go on to get long Covid. 69 00:04:54,986 --> 00:04:58,316 Most say it's had a big impact on their lives. 70 00:05:16,312 --> 00:05:21,495 So my partner has gone out with the little one and the very 71 00:05:21,955 --> 00:05:24,771 very little one woke up very quickly, so I gave him some 72 00:05:24,796 --> 00:05:27,006 milk, very tired. 73 00:05:27,031 --> 00:05:32,221 As you can see, not very happy. 74 00:05:32,871 --> 00:05:36,596 However, I can't stand up or settle him so I basically have to sit 75 00:05:36,621 --> 00:05:40,876 here with him crying till Mummy comes back home. 76 00:05:55,721 --> 00:05:59,130 Today, I'm struggling, I'm tired, which then makes me really worried 77 00:05:59,155 --> 00:06:04,331 about returning to work. 78 00:06:04,955 --> 00:06:10,151 I just want to get back and be a nurse. 79 00:06:11,825 --> 00:06:14,696 Around a million people in the UK have long Covid ? studies 80 00:06:14,721 --> 00:06:19,417 suggest most are women. 81 00:06:19,442 --> 00:06:22,771 And at least a third ? like Suzie and me ? have had it 82 00:06:22,796 --> 00:06:26,126 for more than a year. 83 00:06:28,111 --> 00:06:29,521 That's just going up my stairs. 84 00:06:29,546 --> 00:06:34,491 Tired. 85 00:06:34,516 --> 00:06:36,930 Hey, Suzie, how are you doing? 86 00:06:36,955 --> 00:06:38,417 Hi. How are you? 87 00:06:38,442 --> 00:06:40,006 I'm all right. 88 00:06:40,031 --> 00:06:44,651 Sorry I can't be there in person. 89 00:06:44,676 --> 00:06:49,846 I'm too unwell to travel to Suzie's, so we meet on Zoom. 90 00:06:50,751 --> 00:06:55,946 Suzie is one of around 120,000 healthcare workers with long Covid. 91 00:06:56,442 --> 00:06:59,726 She's desperate to get back to the wards ? but for now can only 92 00:06:59,751 --> 00:07:03,060 do desk work from home. 93 00:07:03,085 --> 00:07:07,104 I sometimes can't find the words, especially when I'm tired 94 00:07:07,129 --> 00:07:11,028 and quite fatigued, it's worse, but... 95 00:07:11,053 --> 00:07:14,574 And I'll be like, I know the word, I know the word, I know... 96 00:07:14,599 --> 00:07:18,189 I can see it in my brain, but I just almost like can't pick it 97 00:07:18,214 --> 00:07:21,343 out and get it to come out of my gob. 98 00:07:21,368 --> 00:07:21,574 It's 99 00:07:29,170 --> 00:07:32,265 Like, there is one word and I'm going to try to say it... 100 00:07:32,290 --> 00:07:34,294 Dom, domes... 101 00:07:34,319 --> 00:07:39,559 Ah, can't say it! 102 00:07:41,244 --> 00:07:43,339 One in five long Covid patients struggle with memory, 103 00:07:43,364 --> 00:07:45,028 concentration or brain fog. 104 00:07:45,053 --> 00:07:47,424 I just kept on thinking, I'll be over this soon, 105 00:07:47,449 --> 00:07:50,499 I'll be over this and I'll start getting better. 106 00:07:50,524 --> 00:07:55,028 And I actually at one stage thought I was going completely and utterly 107 00:07:55,053 --> 00:07:58,499 barmy - am I imagining this, am I being a hypochondriac? 108 00:07:58,524 --> 00:08:02,674 So then I was driving even harder, driving myself even harder 109 00:08:02,699 --> 00:08:05,499 and harder to get better and push through those moments where you're 110 00:08:05,524 --> 00:08:07,469 completely exhausted. 111 00:08:07,494 --> 00:08:11,908 Other people just didn't get it, you know. 112 00:08:11,933 --> 00:08:15,033 One person turned round and said to me, "Erm, well, you go out 113 00:08:15,058 --> 00:08:18,424 to the shops, don't you?" 114 00:08:18,449 --> 00:08:23,544 They didn't see the walking, you know, and then the after effect. 115 00:08:23,609 --> 00:08:25,984 And it was just really, really quite upsetting at one... 116 00:08:26,009 --> 00:08:29,059 It's like, "Are you all right?" 117 00:08:29,084 --> 00:08:34,145 Oh, bless. 118 00:08:35,928 --> 00:08:41,104 Sorry. 119 00:08:44,683 --> 00:08:49,879 You are just describing it so well. 120 00:08:52,494 --> 00:08:56,028 Her story is so like mine it's hard to listen to. 121 00:08:56,053 --> 00:09:01,265 I did stuff like going... 122 00:09:01,933 --> 00:09:07,219 I was so determined to sort of push on through so I would do 123 00:09:07,290 --> 00:09:09,908 what I would normally do, so go for a bike ride, 124 00:09:09,933 --> 00:09:12,293 I'm really struggling to breathe but I'm on my bike, 125 00:09:12,318 --> 00:09:13,984 "l'm fine, I must be fine now." 126 00:09:14,009 --> 00:09:15,424 And then came back... 127 00:09:15,449 --> 00:09:19,265 My temperature was 103 and I had to go straight to bed, 128 00:09:19,290 --> 00:09:24,469 and you think, "Well, anyone who saw me on the bike ride 129 00:09:24,964 --> 00:09:26,854 would be like, Well, she's totally fine, totally... 130 00:09:26,879 --> 00:09:31,223 She looks fine." 131 00:09:31,248 --> 00:09:33,395 Today I've got an appointment at my local medical 132 00:09:33,420 --> 00:09:35,783 centre for a blood test. 133 00:09:35,808 --> 00:09:41,015 It feels really weird to be out of the house, 134 00:09:41,498 --> 00:09:45,028 and to be filming again cos I've not been working for such a long time. 135 00:09:45,053 --> 00:09:50,253 A little bit nerve-wracking. 136 00:09:51,170 --> 00:09:56,395 I've already had one set of blood tests, a chest X-ray and a heart 137 00:09:56,599 --> 00:09:58,499 check ? all of these came back normal. 138 00:09:58,524 --> 00:10:00,908 My heart is racing now after coming up the stairs. 139 00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:05,574 I should have taken the lift but I'm really stubborn. 140 00:10:05,599 --> 00:10:08,424 Lucy? 141 00:10:09,420 --> 00:10:11,469 It's thought several different things could be 142 00:10:11,494 --> 00:10:15,059 to blame for long Covid. 143 00:10:15,084 --> 00:10:16,674 Organ damage from the original virus. 144 00:10:16,699 --> 00:10:17,984 The virus reactivating. 145 00:10:18,009 --> 00:10:22,824 Problems with the immune system. 146 00:10:22,849 --> 00:10:26,294 Or it could be a combination of all these things. 147 00:10:26,319 --> 00:10:28,704 I'm still out of breath from walking up the stairs. 148 00:10:28,729 --> 00:10:29,778 Just relax, OK. 149 00:10:29,803 --> 00:10:35,015 Sharp scratch. 150 00:10:35,170 --> 00:10:37,294 It's a new disease - so there aren't any 151 00:10:37,319 --> 00:10:38,339 diagnostic tests yet. 152 00:10:38,364 --> 00:10:40,778 My blood test will simply rule out if there's anything 153 00:10:40,803 --> 00:10:45,978 else wrong with me. 154 00:10:49,084 --> 00:10:53,293 Got my bloods taken this morning - should have been a really easy, 155 00:10:53,318 --> 00:10:58,544 simple thing to do. 156 00:11:00,420 --> 00:11:05,629 It's five minutes away, in and out. 157 00:11:06,494 --> 00:11:11,204 I just feel completely and utterly wiped out. 158 00:11:13,648 --> 00:11:19,589 I get the results a week later ? again, they are all normal. 159 00:11:21,683 --> 00:11:24,469 Across the UK, governments have invested around £50 million 160 00:11:24,494 --> 00:11:29,674 in research into the disease. 161 00:11:32,294 --> 00:11:37,499 Professor Danny Altmann has been studying viruses for four decades. 162 00:11:38,009 --> 00:11:40,749 His team is analysing the blood of people with long Covid 163 00:11:40,774 --> 00:11:44,674 to try to discover the cause. 164 00:11:44,699 --> 00:11:48,824 They suspect the answer is in our immune system. 165 00:11:48,849 --> 00:11:51,908 I'm pleased the numbers are perking up a bit. 166 00:11:51,933 --> 00:11:55,984 What are you looking for, what are you hoping to find? 167 00:11:56,009 --> 00:11:58,778 We're trying to explain, you know, what is the common denominator 168 00:11:58,803 --> 00:12:01,908 between the symptoms and where have they come from, because if we knew 169 00:12:01,933 --> 00:12:04,783 that I feel like we'd have lots of goodies to offer people 170 00:12:04,808 --> 00:12:07,189 to maybe, you know, make them better. 171 00:12:07,214 --> 00:12:08,984 How's it going? 172 00:12:09,009 --> 00:12:11,395 When you get a virus your immune system creates antibodies 173 00:12:11,420 --> 00:12:12,424 to fight the infection. 174 00:12:12,449 --> 00:12:14,469 But sometimes this can go wrong... 175 00:12:16,170 --> 00:12:21,414 Surprisingly complex. 176 00:12:22,161 --> 00:12:24,490 So, what the team are looking for here is what's 177 00:12:24,515 --> 00:12:27,136 called "auto antibodies" which attack healthy cells. 178 00:12:27,161 --> 00:12:32,406 We know that in some people, when they get infected 179 00:12:34,505 --> 00:12:36,789 with coronavirus, the body can also generate 180 00:12:36,814 --> 00:12:39,664 antibodies against self proteins or human proteins, 181 00:12:39,689 --> 00:12:42,276 and we call those antibodies auto antibodies and they can be 182 00:12:42,301 --> 00:12:43,310 much more problematic. 183 00:12:43,335 --> 00:12:46,200 And in some cases, that can mean that the immune system actually 184 00:12:46,225 --> 00:12:48,919 turns on our own tissues or our own proteins and can 185 00:12:48,944 --> 00:12:52,669 actually cause disease. 186 00:12:52,694 --> 00:12:54,835 At the moment, we don't know whether auto antibodies 187 00:12:54,860 --> 00:13:00,055 are a feature of long Covid. 188 00:13:01,740 --> 00:13:05,585 If the team find signs of these damaging auto antibodies, 189 00:13:05,610 --> 00:13:10,840 then diagnostic tests and treatments could follow. 190 00:13:11,814 --> 00:13:15,119 But while we wait for science to catch up with this new disease, 191 00:13:15,144 --> 00:13:19,304 how long might our symptoms last? 192 00:13:19,329 --> 00:13:22,230 You know, is this a six month problem or a one year problem 193 00:13:22,255 --> 00:13:24,995 or a five year problem or a forever problem? 194 00:13:25,020 --> 00:13:27,919 None of us know. 195 00:13:27,944 --> 00:13:33,156 If you asked me to kind of, you know, place my bets from things 196 00:13:35,140 --> 00:13:37,480 that I know about other related, kind of post viral 197 00:13:37,505 --> 00:13:40,156 immunological effects, I'd be disappointed if most people 198 00:13:40,181 --> 00:13:42,789 with long Covid weren't better or feeling quite a lot better 199 00:13:42,814 --> 00:13:47,640 within two or three years max, I hope. 200 00:13:47,665 --> 00:13:50,760 That's a long time to feel as ill as many of us do. 201 00:13:50,785 --> 00:13:53,865 It could mean many thousands of people are off work for years ? 202 00:13:53,890 --> 00:13:59,115 A significant impact on the economy and the NHS. 203 00:14:00,431 --> 00:14:05,640 My guesstimate is that the healthcare needs for those 204 00:14:05,814 --> 00:14:08,919 people run in to the billions, and it's not just the money, it's 205 00:14:08,944 --> 00:14:10,585 which clinic will they be seen in? 206 00:14:10,610 --> 00:14:11,789 Who will the doctors be? 207 00:14:11,814 --> 00:14:13,119 Who will the nurses be? 208 00:14:13,144 --> 00:14:16,156 As the interview ends, Nuala has some questions 209 00:14:16,181 --> 00:14:21,390 of her own about the illness she too has had to cope with. 210 00:14:22,375 --> 00:14:24,664 Why did my body think Covid was still there? 211 00:14:24,689 --> 00:14:29,919 That's a good question. 212 00:14:33,431 --> 00:14:37,039 One of doctors said to me it was almost like a ghost of the virus 213 00:14:37,064 --> 00:14:39,150 in your blood system, a ghost of the virus 214 00:14:39,175 --> 00:14:40,585 was still in your blood system. 215 00:14:40,610 --> 00:14:45,200 I don't know and they still don't know if it was the live virus 216 00:14:45,225 --> 00:14:50,406 attacking your body or your body itself sort of got confused 217 00:14:54,225 --> 00:14:56,350 and your immune system started attacking itself and again. 218 00:14:56,375 --> 00:14:59,230 I don't know and they are still trying to work that out 219 00:14:59,255 --> 00:15:02,099 and if they can work that out, then hopefully they can find 220 00:15:02,124 --> 00:15:03,290 a way of curing people. 221 00:15:03,315 --> 00:15:04,330 You've got makeup? 222 00:15:04,355 --> 00:15:05,774 Yes, I have got makeup on. 223 00:15:05,799 --> 00:15:07,460 Why, so you didn't look so tired? 224 00:15:07,485 --> 00:15:12,256 Yes, and so that I looked less tired and so I looked OK on camera. 225 00:15:12,281 --> 00:15:17,475 Long Covid means Nuala has struggled with full time school. 226 00:15:19,405 --> 00:15:24,595 In April she was admitted to hospital for tests. 227 00:15:25,769 --> 00:15:30,620 They gave her a device to help with her breathing. 228 00:15:30,645 --> 00:15:35,695 I've been quite out of breath running with my friends, 229 00:15:35,765 --> 00:15:40,954 like really fast and out of breath. 230 00:15:42,515 --> 00:15:47,756 Because my lungs, they aren't proper or something. 231 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,460 Is that what the doctor said, your lungs aren't working properly, 232 00:15:50,485 --> 00:15:52,156 so this is to get them stronger? 233 00:15:52,181 --> 00:15:57,370 And do you feel like it's helping? 234 00:16:02,161 --> 00:16:07,345 You lose that spontaneity in your life because you can't just 235 00:16:07,674 --> 00:16:10,845 think today is a nice day, I'll go for a walk. 236 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:16,065 What energy you have, you have to plan it. 237 00:16:16,229 --> 00:16:20,350 While some people may improve with time and rest, 238 00:16:20,375 --> 00:16:25,535 others may have organ damage that needs medical treatment. 239 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:30,740 Athmaja Thottungal, a consultant anaesthetist, 240 00:16:31,075 --> 00:16:35,386 got Covid in February last year. 241 00:16:35,411 --> 00:16:39,386 I started having severe joint pain, heart racing, chest pain, 242 00:16:39,411 --> 00:16:44,614 difficulty breathing. 243 00:16:45,161 --> 00:16:48,490 I had a couple of days in the night I woke up from sleep 244 00:16:48,515 --> 00:16:51,650 with intense chest pain. 245 00:16:51,675 --> 00:16:54,266 That really made me quite alert about this because I thought 246 00:16:54,291 --> 00:16:55,470 I need to get some... 247 00:16:55,495 --> 00:17:00,705 ...some more help. 248 00:17:04,421 --> 00:17:06,545 Later, when Athmaja had her heart monitored for 72 249 00:17:06,570 --> 00:17:08,220 hours it was discoverd she needed medication. 250 00:17:08,245 --> 00:17:12,545 She's waiting for further tests. 251 00:17:12,570 --> 00:17:15,190 She's unable to do much things around that that makes it... 252 00:17:15,215 --> 00:17:17,720 ...but that's the reality. 253 00:17:17,745 --> 00:17:20,545 Yeah. 254 00:17:20,570 --> 00:17:23,470 Like you know, but it is the having a shower and he's standing 255 00:17:23,495 --> 00:17:27,545 there just to make sure that I don't fall down and by the time I come out 256 00:17:27,570 --> 00:17:28,750 of the shower I'm breathless. 257 00:17:28,775 --> 00:17:30,659 Then he has to dry me up, so. 258 00:17:30,684 --> 00:17:31,705 Like a baby. 259 00:17:31,730 --> 00:17:36,940 Yeah, look after me like a baby. 260 00:17:39,655 --> 00:17:42,266 One study suggests that four months after first getting Covid, 261 00:17:42,291 --> 00:17:46,875 two thirds of patients have some organ damage. 262 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:49,220 For most this had cleared up by the follow up 263 00:17:49,245 --> 00:17:50,784 scan six months later. 264 00:17:50,809 --> 00:17:56,016 But heart problems were more likely to persist. 265 00:17:57,165 --> 00:18:01,545 So what help is available to patients? 266 00:18:01,570 --> 00:18:05,675 Leicester was one of the worst hit cities during the first wave and one 267 00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:10,870 of the first to open a long Covid clinic. 268 00:18:14,934 --> 00:18:20,105 This is an appointment to see how you are feeling now 269 00:18:20,365 --> 00:18:23,190 and if there are any ongoing problems and if you need any 270 00:18:23,215 --> 00:18:24,266 further investigations. 271 00:18:24,291 --> 00:18:27,386 I felt breathless and I had a pain in my rib cage here. 272 00:18:27,411 --> 00:18:32,620 The clinic has been open for 13 months and has seen 273 00:18:33,054 --> 00:18:35,985 thousands of patients. 274 00:18:36,010 --> 00:18:37,190 What job do you do? 275 00:18:37,215 --> 00:18:38,705 Shift manager. 276 00:18:38,730 --> 00:18:43,945 I'm back on a phased return. 277 00:18:44,105 --> 00:18:47,909 So the ongoing symptoms you're left with fatigue, brain fog, 278 00:18:47,934 --> 00:18:50,294 numbness on your right thigh, hair loss, what about 279 00:18:50,319 --> 00:18:52,340 the breathlessness? 280 00:18:52,365 --> 00:18:55,979 Because you said that was really bad for the first few weeks. 281 00:18:58,411 --> 00:19:03,605 This is Enya, one of our senior physiotherapists. 282 00:19:03,684 --> 00:19:08,695 These persistent symptoms seems to be something 283 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,080 that the virus has caused, either in inflammation or auto 284 00:19:11,105 --> 00:19:13,705 immunity or in other mechanisms and that doesn't seem to matter 285 00:19:13,730 --> 00:19:16,575 whether somebody was hospitalised or not at the beginning, 286 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,985 and that's why it's really important that we have equitable 287 00:19:19,010 --> 00:19:22,185 care for both groups. 288 00:19:22,210 --> 00:19:26,029 At first, this clinic only treated patients who'd been 289 00:19:26,054 --> 00:19:27,940 hospitalised with Covid, some of whom had pre-existing 290 00:19:27,965 --> 00:19:32,190 health conditions. 291 00:19:32,215 --> 00:19:37,429 But now they're seeing patients who weren't hospitalised too. 292 00:19:37,954 --> 00:19:40,575 We're going to discuss Samya this morning. 293 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:45,800 We'lljust take you through one at a time. 294 00:19:54,730 --> 00:19:56,425 We need expertise from different 295 00:19:56,450 --> 00:19:58,340 disciplines so be that nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, 296 00:19:58,365 --> 00:20:00,029 psychology but also heart specialist, brain specialist, 297 00:20:00,054 --> 00:20:03,659 specialists in diabetes so that we really put a package 298 00:20:03,684 --> 00:20:08,855 of care to help the person with all their different problems. 299 00:20:09,779 --> 00:20:12,136 But access to this kind of care can vary greatly, 300 00:20:12,161 --> 00:20:17,386 depending on where you live. 301 00:20:18,775 --> 00:20:23,955 Wales, where I live now, doesn't have any long Covid clinics 302 00:20:24,495 --> 00:20:29,190 and they aren't planning to set any up either. 303 00:20:36,105 --> 00:20:38,705 After the referral, I was told the clinic was not running. 304 00:20:38,730 --> 00:20:42,136 I was passed from pillar to post and it was really, really confusing, 305 00:20:42,161 --> 00:20:47,386 a real battle and hard to fight when you're sick. 306 00:20:51,134 --> 00:20:54,220 While I've been stuck at home, I've been looking into where long Covid 307 00:20:54,245 --> 00:20:55,620 clinics are available. 308 00:20:55,645 --> 00:20:59,266 There are 89 in England. 309 00:20:59,291 --> 00:21:01,135 Some only accept patients who've been hospitalised. 310 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:06,316 And there can be long waiting times. 311 00:21:07,326 --> 00:21:09,416 NHS England says it's invested more than £134 million 312 00:21:09,441 --> 00:21:13,096 in long Covid services. 313 00:21:13,121 --> 00:21:16,696 Neither Scotland nor Wales have specialised clinics. 314 00:21:16,721 --> 00:21:19,331 Both say they are strengthening existing services. 315 00:21:19,356 --> 00:21:22,650 Scotland is funding research. 316 00:21:22,675 --> 00:21:27,877 Northern Ireland's first clinics will open in October. 317 00:21:35,956 --> 00:21:41,150 I'm going to Edinburgh tomorrow to get a brain scan. 318 00:21:43,486 --> 00:21:48,696 I'm part of a study looking at impact on brain of long Covid. 319 00:21:53,676 --> 00:21:58,881 I guess I'm feeling a bit nervous, hope they don't find anything. 320 00:22:00,716 --> 00:22:03,096 Researchers at Edinburgh University are scanning the brains of 100 321 00:22:03,121 --> 00:22:06,020 people with long Covid. 322 00:22:06,045 --> 00:22:10,611 I suffer migraines, vertigo and brainfog. 323 00:22:10,636 --> 00:22:14,181 Could these be signs of brain damage? 324 00:22:14,206 --> 00:22:19,400 Can I get you to just walk backwards and forwards 325 00:22:23,152 --> 00:22:27,461 across the consulting room a couple of times? 326 00:22:27,486 --> 00:22:30,331 I am quite conscious with my walk, I look a bit drunk. 327 00:22:30,356 --> 00:22:33,611 I think that's just my dizziness. 328 00:22:33,636 --> 00:22:37,286 Touch my finger. 329 00:22:37,311 --> 00:22:41,096 Professor Alan Carson is a leading neuropsychiatrist. 330 00:22:41,121 --> 00:22:46,301 Before the scan, he puts me through a battery of tests. 331 00:22:46,441 --> 00:22:49,051 I'm just moving my finger to make it harder for you. 332 00:22:49,076 --> 00:22:50,096 Oh, yeah, sorry. 333 00:22:50,121 --> 00:22:55,321 His team are not just looking for signs of brain damage. 334 00:22:57,356 --> 00:23:02,520 They also want to see if our brains and bodies may be 335 00:23:03,841 --> 00:23:07,051 They also want to see if our brains and bodies may be mis-communicating. 336 00:23:07,076 --> 00:23:08,096 Dizziness? 337 00:23:08,121 --> 00:23:09,127 Yes. 338 00:23:09,152 --> 00:23:10,377 Heart pounding? 339 00:23:10,402 --> 00:23:11,571 Yes. 340 00:23:11,596 --> 00:23:12,611 Nerves or feeling anxious? 341 00:23:12,636 --> 00:23:14,491 Yes. 342 00:23:14,516 --> 00:23:19,127 Ultimately, pain is only perceived in the brain, 343 00:23:19,152 --> 00:23:21,321 temperature control for the body comes from the brain, 344 00:23:21,346 --> 00:23:23,836 breathing regulation comes from the brain, 345 00:23:23,861 --> 00:23:27,566 sense of balance comes from the brain and all of these 346 00:23:27,591 --> 00:23:32,801 things can be distorted by brain functions. 347 00:23:35,121 --> 00:23:37,495 I'm so exhausted after four hours of tests, I fall 348 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:39,895 asleep in the exam room. 349 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:45,127 Next, is the brain scan. 350 00:23:51,001 --> 00:23:53,821 There's her teeth and her lips coming through, nose, eyes, 351 00:23:53,846 --> 00:23:59,051 base of her neck, spine. 352 00:24:07,516 --> 00:24:11,100 It's quite weird looking at your own brain. 353 00:24:11,125 --> 00:24:13,485 Yeah, but if you have to look at your brain, 354 00:24:13,510 --> 00:24:15,181 you want it to look like that. 355 00:24:15,206 --> 00:24:16,741 Basically, that's nice and healthy looking. 356 00:24:16,766 --> 00:24:20,096 There's no sign of any damage to any of the white matter or anything. 357 00:24:20,121 --> 00:24:22,976 Although you've had a rough time of it, most of the problems 358 00:24:23,001 --> 00:24:26,416 should be reversible. 359 00:24:26,441 --> 00:24:31,636 That's a relief, but what does he think is causing my symptoms then? 360 00:24:32,369 --> 00:24:34,675 Your constellation of symptoms are quite typical of what people 361 00:24:34,700 --> 00:24:39,500 report with long Covid. 362 00:24:39,525 --> 00:24:44,740 You've clearly got a tendency towards a breathing disfunction. 363 00:24:46,750 --> 00:24:51,940 It's understandable from the time you were acutely unwell that you've 364 00:24:57,645 --> 00:25:00,029 developed this sort of rapid pattern breathing in the aftermath. 365 00:25:00,054 --> 00:25:01,940 That leaves you feeling breathless after any activity. 366 00:25:01,965 --> 00:25:05,340 This is a revelation for me. 367 00:25:05,365 --> 00:25:10,545 My poor breathing leaves too much carbon dioxide in my system, 368 00:25:13,084 --> 00:25:14,939 which could partly explain some of the symptoms, 369 00:25:14,964 --> 00:25:15,970 including headaches. 370 00:25:15,995 --> 00:25:17,396 He refers me for respiratory tests. 371 00:25:17,421 --> 00:25:22,560 Do you think that people with long Covid overall, 372 00:25:22,975 --> 00:25:24,715 difficult question, will get better? 373 00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:28,070 Yes. 374 00:25:28,095 --> 00:25:30,430 I think the evidence is already emerging that the majority 375 00:25:30,455 --> 00:25:33,835 of people get better. 376 00:25:33,860 --> 00:25:38,230 There will be some people with post-Covid complications that 377 00:25:38,255 --> 00:25:41,059 will involve structural damage, whether to the brain, 378 00:25:41,084 --> 00:25:45,070 my area of interest, or whether to your lungs or heart 379 00:25:45,095 --> 00:25:48,865 and there the outcome will be more variable. 380 00:25:48,890 --> 00:25:52,555 But I think for the majority of people, it's about a slow 381 00:25:52,580 --> 00:25:57,760 recouperation period rather than permanent sickness, 382 00:25:58,100 --> 00:26:03,245 I've finally got an explanation for some of my symptoms, 383 00:26:05,814 --> 00:26:10,575 but I still need more tests and may have a long wait before I get them. 384 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,200 As the UK opens up, there are concerns many more people 385 00:26:13,225 --> 00:26:18,276 could be at risk of long Covid. 386 00:26:18,341 --> 00:26:21,396 I was sort of aiming towards somewhere with a bench to be honest. 387 00:26:21,421 --> 00:26:24,435 Covid cases are rising fast. 388 00:26:24,460 --> 00:26:29,630 While the vaccine reduces serious illness or death, 389 00:26:30,659 --> 00:26:33,305 it doesn't stop all infections and children and many young people 390 00:26:33,330 --> 00:26:38,700 haven't even been vaccinated. 391 00:26:39,321 --> 00:26:43,070 One of the things we know for absolute certain is that long Covid 392 00:26:43,095 --> 00:26:48,245 can ensue from any form of infection, asymptomatic, mild, 393 00:26:53,180 --> 00:26:56,396 severe, so if we're heading into a phase of 100,000 394 00:26:56,421 --> 00:27:00,789 cases per day in the coming months and we're saying that ten to 20% 395 00:27:00,814 --> 00:27:06,030 of all infections can result in long Covid, 396 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,865 I can see no certainty that we're not brewing those long Covid 397 00:27:09,890 --> 00:27:11,276 cases despite having a vaccinated population. 398 00:27:11,301 --> 00:27:13,669 But Professor Altman says there could be some good news 399 00:27:13,694 --> 00:27:17,945 from the early findings of his research. 400 00:27:17,970 --> 00:27:21,664 His team is analysing the blood of long Covid patients 401 00:27:21,689 --> 00:27:26,919 for signs of auto antibodies which attack healthy cells. 402 00:27:27,460 --> 00:27:32,324 The pilot data we have says that you really can pick up different 403 00:27:32,349 --> 00:27:35,610 patterns of auto-immunity in people who have long Covid, so, you know, 404 00:27:35,635 --> 00:27:38,555 it's the start of the road but we're quite chuffed about it. 405 00:27:38,580 --> 00:27:41,480 It's only a small study and more research is needed. 406 00:27:41,505 --> 00:27:44,200 But having identified these auto antibodies, 407 00:27:44,225 --> 00:27:47,435 they hope it'll be easier to diagnose this form of long Covid 408 00:27:47,460 --> 00:27:52,646 in the future. 409 00:27:53,970 --> 00:27:57,555 I'm famously optimistic, so I'd hope that within six months 410 00:27:57,580 --> 00:28:01,650 we'd have a simple blood test that you could get from your GP. 411 00:28:01,675 --> 00:28:04,950 And that, I think, could have quite a big impact for people who don't 412 00:28:04,975 --> 00:28:09,304 feel they've managed to convince their GP 413 00:28:09,329 --> 00:28:10,835 or accessed specialist care. 414 00:28:10,860 --> 00:28:13,230 Because instead of being, you know, my word against yours, 415 00:28:13,255 --> 00:28:15,950 it has a diagnostic test. 416 00:28:15,975 --> 00:28:19,070 It's been 16 months since Nuala and I got Covid. 417 00:28:19,095 --> 00:28:21,200 She is nearly back to normal. 418 00:28:21,225 --> 00:28:26,396 I've got more energy and have fewer symptoms. 419 00:28:27,655 --> 00:28:29,809 But I still wake every morning with what feels 420 00:28:29,834 --> 00:28:33,039 like a horrible hangover. 421 00:28:33,064 --> 00:28:36,195 Not sure if I'll ever get back to being who I was before. 422 00:28:36,220 --> 00:28:41,396 And it's that uncertainty that's hardest to bear.