France is easing out of lockdown, but for sufferers of long Covid battling the symptoms provoked by the virus is still an ongoing fight. Our reporters met an elite athlete, an entire family and a seven-year-old girl who are all suffering from the long-term after-effects of contracting Covid-19. Yet despite an urgent need for a better understanding of this new and complex condition, scientists in France are struggling to get public funding for research into long Covid.
"This isn't a cardio workout, but I can still feel my heart skipping a beat. It’s not a nice feeling," says Anne-Laure Florentin, as she lifts a couple of weights on the edge of the mat, while watching her team-mates train.
The three-time European karate champion had hoped to represent France at this year's Tokyo Olympics, but she’s had to give up that dream after contracting Covid-19 in October 2020.
Initially, her symptoms were mild. But she's since developed a heart condition called myocarditis, which means even light exercise causes her discomfort.
"People think only adults suffer from Covid. But that’s not true, children do too!"
Emma, a seven-year-old suffering the after-effects of Covid-19
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, it was initially understood to be mostly a respiratory illness from which most otherwise healthy people recovered within a few weeks. Young people, it was believed, were largely spared the worst symptoms.
But as the pandemic has worn on, children and teenagers have been suffering symptoms that last for months on end.
Karyne Peters and her two children, Meïly (18) and Mànoa (12), are all suffering from long Covid. "Meïly lost 17 kilos and was in hospital for nearly three months. For Mànoa, the most debilitating symptoms are his hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) and 'brain fog'. I suffer from effort-induced fatigue. If I carry out a physical activity, the next day or the day after, I’ll have to stay in bed and my other symptoms will come back."
Karyne says she's had to fight to gain recognition from doctors who initially didn't take her and her children's symptoms seriously. Earlier this year, the French government officially recognised long Covid as a health condition and recommended treatment plans. But the government did not officially recognise long Covid in children as a health condition.
"I feel angry that I haven't been listened to," says Karyne. "I can see that things are changing for adults, but not for children."
Her frustration is shared by Marie Valdes, whose seven-year-old daughter Emma suffered a severe but rare condition provoked by Covid-19, known as PIMS-COVID in France and PIMS-TS in the United Kingdom (PIMS: Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome).
Seven months ago, the virus attacked Emma's vital organs and put her in intensive care.
"I still suffer from after-effects, I have pain in my legs," says Emma. "If I walk for more than 10 minutes, it hurts. I have to go in the wheelchair."
Marie Valdes, Emma's mother, has started the support group Families of Children affected by PIMS-COVID to help families affected by the condition.
"I had all this information and I felt guilty for not sharing it with other parents," she says. "It's made me feel useful. We're a group and we support each other. There's strength in numbers."
"Each time we've asked for funding, it's a no. I don't understand."
Professor Dominique Salmon-Ceron, infectious disease specialist at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris
Why does long Covid affect some people and not others, and what explains the multitude of different symptoms? Enhanced knowledge would help health staff offer adequate treatment plans to sufferers.
Funding is urgently needed so that scientists can better understand this new and complex health condition.
The United Kingdom has allocated £18.5 million (€21.5 million) in research funding into long Covid.
But in France, which has a similar-sized population, the government's budget for long Covid research, at €2.2 million, pales in comparison to that of its neighbour.
Professor Dominique Salmon-Ceron, a leading infectious disease specialist at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris, says she and her team have applied for funding four times during the last year. Each time, their request has been turned down, with "comments and recommendations", by the health ministry.
Meanwhile, however, her skills and expertise have been recognised by the health authorities in the United Kingdom.
"The English have asked me to participate in the expert committee which distributes €20 million in funding for long Covid research," says Professor Salmon-Ceron. "They're inviting French people to take part in these committees. So, that means we're recognised for our publications."
FRANCE 24 contacted the health ministry to ask why France was investing less than its British neighbour. The ministry replied: "If research efforts still appear modest, that is solely because too few quality proposals have requested support."
>> Watch our Focus report: French patients with 'long Covid' face uphill battle to recovery
