Why another film about Corona now?
Good question! “Hirschhausen and the Long Shadow of Corona” is my seventh film about the pandemic. The core of all these reports was to get close to the people who get little attention. Because we have supported those affected so continuously, we get to see a lot of things that would otherwise be difficult to get into the media. Long Covid affects at least several hundred thousand people in Germany, others assume up to two million. Most people prefer to look away and are happy that Corona has had no consequences for them. We look.
Who does Long Covid affect?
To this day, no one can predict that. But what is striking is that twice as many women are affected as men and more younger people than older people. This is also the case with other diseases with an overreaction of the immune system, such as multiple sclerosis. And children are also affected. Estimated to be one in a hundred who have had Covid. I receive emails and inquiries every day. There are millions out there looking for help and not getting it.
Which fates particularly touched you?
We have been in contact with Andrea for three years. She became infected while working as a physiotherapist, right at the beginning of the pandemic, when health professionals were still maintaining care without vaccination and with too few masks. Andrea developed the most severe form of Long Covid: ME/CFS – chronic fatigue syndrome.
Before that she climbed mountains. Now all she can do is lie in bed. To this day it has not been recognized as an occupational disease and receives no support. The court says everything cannot be proven. In my opinion this is a scandal. The authorities, offices and health insurance companies do not recognize the disease. And those affected have to file a lawsuit for everything, regardless of whether it concerns a caregiver, disability pension or the degree of disability. The very people who have stood up for all of us in the first line of health care are the very people we leave alone to this day. That shouldn’t be the case.
To this day, many people consider Long Covid to be a purely psychosomatic illness.
There are studies that show the following: When healthy mice receive the immune cells from people with Long Covid, they also develop the typical symptoms. And no one would say that the mice were imagining it all, or that they were already depressed beforehand. Of course, people who have previously been mentally or physically ill also have a higher risk of developing further illnesses. And that’s why the disciplines also need to work better together. If my body no longer reacts the way I know it, that would also make me extremely worried and exhausted. You can’t separate the symptoms and the human-emotional reaction to them.
How will the virus still have an impact in 2024?
The diverse damage that the coronavirus leaves behind in the vascular system and through clots is often underestimated. Studies show that every new infection increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Even in completely healthy people. We accompany a Long Covid patient who, as a pharmacist, is well versed in the world of medicine. Your cerebral arteries are changed, your heart is scarred, and nerve fibers are damaged. And parts of the virus, the so-called spike protein, have lodged in the bone marrow and keep the inflammation going from there. All of this could explain why there are so many different symptoms. And why some people just don’t get well again.
What do you mean by the long shadows of Corona?
We are also addressing the consequences that have nothing to do with the virus. The number of young people with psychological symptoms has increased enormously. 20 percent were doing poorly before the pandemic, now it is 25 percent.
I meet Karl in the documentary. He is now 18 and suffered from depression. Many young people felt worse in the second lockdown than in the first, including him. Stress can obviously accumulate and cause the mental equilibrium to tip. This generation would have preferred to enjoy partying and puberty instead of lockdowns and school closings. If we older people were protected from infection by the solidarity of the young, what do we owe this generation in return today? I think it’s boomer pay back time!
With the corona vaccination came the debate about effects and side effects. What do we know better today than in 2020?
In Germany, 65 million people have been vaccinated. The vast majority tolerated it well, were protected from severe disease and were less likely to get Long Covid. The dilemma is also familiar from other vaccinations: the success is quickly forgotten, but the damage remains. It was wrong to promise a vaccination that was completely free of side effects. Everything that works has side effects.
But no one knows exactly how many people became ill as a result of the vaccination itself. Maybe there are 10,000 people, some estimate 20,000. Because I supported vaccination, I also wanted to better understand the possible long-term damage. To do this, I go to a solidarity event for those who have been vaccinated in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg and speak to the cabaret artist Christine Prayon, who developed severe symptoms even after being vaccinated.
You were a vaccination subject yourself and made a film about it in 2021. Would you do that again?
Yes! I have been committed to vaccinations for a long time, ever since I realized how important it is as a doctor in pediatric neurology. Of course, not everyone liked my science-based clear stance. To this day, like many people from science, politics and the public, I receive a lot of hatred, insinuations and even targeted misinformation on social media. The counter question must be: Despite all the uncertainty and considerations, would we have been better off without the vaccination? And the answer is clearly: no.
What are the sore points for you?
Why do we have such poor data on vaccine damage and Long Covid, why is the monitoring for DNA residues in the vaccines not as transparent as in other countries, and were the school closures over the long period of time a mistake? We also reported on Post-Vac last year, as far as I know, one of the first in primetime. I’m happy to accept criticism if it’s justified. But anyone who complains before the film has even aired is, in my opinion, disqualifying themselves.
A big issue is the level of disinformation that accompanies the pandemic. How do you deal with it?
Information spreads particularly quickly in the Internet age. Unfortunately also false information. There was a video about large clots in connection with deaths after Corona or vaccination that was viewed millions of times. It sounds a bit like a crime novel, but I actually went into forensic medicine. The lead professor told me directly: “I am aware of the video and it is complete nonsense. After death, blood clots. It doesn’t stay liquid permanently and these are clots that occur completely independently of the vaccination.” For me, this is a bitter realization in this pandemic: You can die not only from viruses, but in a figurative sense even from words, from disinformation. My friend’s husband actually died unvaccinated because he relied on videos that told dangerous nonsense. The vaccination has helped many people prevent severe disease. So she most likely could have saved my friend’s husband’s life.
When will there be a treatment for Long Covid?
Developing the vaccination was quick. There was a virus, a target and a lot of money. Long Covid is much more complicated to treat. It affects different organs, each case is slightly different. There will be no simple “miracle cure” that will suddenly make you a lot of money. That’s why the pharmaceutical industry isn’t interested in it either. There are currently several small studies on therapies and medications underway in Germany, but the research needs to be much better coordinated and financed so that more reaches patients. As of today, many people pay for their treatments themselves. We have one of the most expensive healthcare systems in the world and we are not doing a better job of bringing all the existing knowledge into primary medical care, into the practice, and to the patients. That’s absurd.
When will the next pandemic come?
No idea when exactly. But humans, bacteria and viruses are always in an evolutionary race. Due to wildlife trade, the climate crisis and the rapid extinction of species, pathogens are now spreading more and more quickly from the animal kingdom to humans. Another danger: germs are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. There are thousands of pandemic candidates. Unfortunately, this is scientifically very clear. We would only need one or two percent of all the money that the Covid pandemic has cost us worldwide in order to best prevent the next pandemic completely, or to detect and contain it very early. But there is increasingly less willingness internationally to finance such joint projects in solidarity. The results of the US elections are a real disaster for global health. “There is no glory in prevention” – there is no flower pot to be won by preventing diseases. Why not? If we should learn one thing from this pandemic: it will not be the last if we continue as before.
With all the long shadows of Corona, where is there anything illuminating?
There is also a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I was impressed by how many people get involved, share their knowledge, and don’t let up until politicians, the medical profession and hospitals make a move. Long Covid, Post Vac and ME/CFS will hopefully soon be understood and treated. The experts say: This can be achieved with more resources, better networking and good care. This film is also a thank you to everyone who keeps this hope high and gives their best every day.
