Long Covid patients create videos to help others

George Apunte has had long Covid for two years

Long Covid patients in south London have helped create videos they hope will benefit others with the condition.

The 10 short videos give tips on how to deal with things like fatigue, brain fog and difficulty sleeping.

They were made with the help of clinicians at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals where they have treated more than 3,000 long Covid patients.

The videos have been made for the hospitals' website in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The videos offer tips and advice on how to cope with long Covid

'The tiredness was a killer'

George Apunte, 43, from Lambeth, is one of the patients who has helped put the videos together.

He remembers the worst of his long Covid, saying: "I had brain fog. I had some really bad fevers, breathlessness and joint pain. The tiredness was a killer, I would say.

"It was really hard because I didn't have the strength sometimes to pick up my one-year-old son. It felt like I'd been robber of precious time."

Stephanie Schreiber lost her job due to long Covid

'We're really proud'

Another patient from the South East London Long Covid Programme to help out with the videos is Stephanie Schreiber, 48, from Bromley.

The mother of two says she hopes they will help others in her position. She lost her job due to her long Covid and struggled to do even the most basic tasks.

"We're really proud of what we've managed to create," she said. "I hope we've made long Covid a lot less frightening and showed that recovery is possible."

Nearly four years on from getting Covid, she is now retraining as a health coach as she continues her recovery.

The South East London Long Covid Programme, which helped both George and Stephanie, is a team of doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists and other therapists who work across all five hospital trusts in the area.

It is a two-year programme that has been trying to find better ways to treat long Covid patients and reach some of the area's more diverse communities.

Clinicians say they hope the videos will help families and employers to understand more about long Covid, and maybe spark conversations about the condition.

They also say they could help people dealing with other long-term or chronic conditions.

Prof Nick Hart, the co-director of the South East London Long Covid Programme, said: "We sincerely hope these videos will make a difference by supporting people to manage their symptoms."

The videos are available on the Guy's and St Thomas' website or on YouTube.