Kate Garraway predicted a “pandemic of long Covid” during Friday’s Good Morning Britain, as she reflected on how the virus has personally affected her.
Her husband, Derek Draper, has been suffering from the effects of long Covid for some time, having been initially diagnosed with the virus last year.
His condition quickly deteriorating, Derek was rushed to hospital with coronavirus in March 2020, where he was admitted to intensive care.
He awoke from his induced coma the following July and, following months of care and rehabilitation, was permitted to return home from hospital earlier this year.
However, dad-of-two Derek requires round-the-clock care, as the disease has left him with holes in his heart and lungs.
Opening up to GMB doctor Amir Khan, Kate highlighted the plight of victims of long Covid, saying: “You raised long Covid there.
“I know that recently there has been a landmark study into long Covid. I know that obviously, I have personal reasons to look at long Covid in great detail.”
She went on: “What they’ve highlighted is something that I think, well actually I’ve been saying on this programme and others, that we are facing another pandemic of the suffering of long Covid – the symptoms of which are still unclear and they’re not identified.”
(Image: ITV)
Kate and Amir then discussed a recent study, which explores the treatment options for patients who are suffering from long Covid.
“The study is really promising,” Amir said, hoping it would signal positive change for those facing long Covid.
Carried out by non-profit FAIR Health, the study found nearly a fifth of asymptomatic Covid patients went on to experience conditions consistent with long Covid.
The causes of long Covid remain unknown, most long Covid conditions were associated more with women than men.
(Image: Daily Star, Daily Mirror, Daily Express)
Kate’s long Covid discussion comes after the release of her book, The Power of Hope, which follows Derek’s heartbreaking ordeal.
At one point in the memoir, Kate recalled a conversation with a doctor, in which she was informed the next two years would be crucial for Derek.
She wrote: “After another long pause, he [the doctor] looked straight at me, then away. ‘Well, Kate’ – the first time he had used my name – ‘I think it’s fair to say if he is still like this after two years we will know there is very little chance of him making any meaningful recovery.’
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“Up until now I had been living by the minute, hours on the phone monitoring infection levels and statistics, trying to get a handle on where Derek was, wondering every time I went to sleep if he would still be alive in the morning.
“How could I go on like this for another two years? Worse still, how could Derek be trapped like this for two years? The timescale winded me and I’m sure I must have slumped a bit in the chair.”
Good Morning Britain airs on weekdays at 6am on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
