{"id":24292,"date":"2025-03-19T05:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T06:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24292"},"modified":"2025-03-19T12:26:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T12:26:25","slug":"covid-memories-are-in-a-box-deep-within-my-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24292","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Covid memories are in a box deep within my brain&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">6 hours ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Nikki Fox<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Health correspondent, BBC East<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/98965f60-033f-11f0-bd89-c3fdf6bb272d.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Nikki Fox\/BBC Senior sister Lauren Jakes stands in the critical care department at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital  The background is blurry but you can see a bed to the left of her and another nurse to the right. She is wearing a blue uniform with her hair plaited back and tortoiseshell glasses.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Nikki Fox\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Five years on, Senior Sister Lauren Jakes still vividly remembers the moment she was told her ward was to expect the arrival of its very first Covid patient.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;You could see the fear in everybody&#8217;s eyes,&#8221; she says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">As the pandemic unfolded, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital became a dedicated surge centre, taking seriously ill patients from across the East of England.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Since then, SisterJakes says she has lost a &#8220;very good number&#8221; of nurses to other departments, as they could no longer face working in critical care.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Nightmares and flashbacks&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10e5e350-034a-11f0-a8b1-950887ddc6e5.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Lauren Jakes Senior Sister Lauren Jakes in full PPE during the second wave of the covid pandemic in 2021. She is wearing a gown, hair net, FFP3 mask, and a full face visor. \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Lauren Jakes<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Sister Jakes recounted how there was a reluctance to enter the room of the first Covid patient, until one of the other sisters set the example for how they would need to tackle the disease head-on.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The experienced nurse described the first two years as &#8220;terrifying&#8221;, with the unit caring for double its usual number of patients.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Staff were drafted in from other departments, with nurses responsible for four patients, instead of one.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Sister Jakes said she &#8220;cried&#8221; the first time she heard people clapping for the NHS. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She said she still saw the faces of patients and would never forget some of the people she came across.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I have put the memories of that time in a little box, deep within my brain.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Will it ever be opened again? I don&#8217;t know, maybe in years to come, but at the moment, I&#8217;m quite content with leaving those feelings where they are and trying to carry on with a profession that I still love.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ba59f940-0349-11f0-b50e-9d086302645f.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Lauren Jakes Lauren Jakes with her two boys who were aged 5 and 2 at the start of the pandemic, but are now aged ten and 7. In the first picture they are peeking out from behind a tree and are grinning at the camera, in the second picture they have their arms around their mother in the winter.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Lauren Jakes<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Sister Jakes said she had completed a dissertation on the psychological impact of the pandemic on staff.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;There was a massive jump in nurses that were affected by PTSD, nightmares and flashbacks,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;A lot were then unable to cope, so they&#8217;ve had to leave their career within critical care to explore other avenues for their mental health and wellbeing.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">In a recently published <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nhssurveys.co.uk\/nss\/detailed_questions\/region\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">NHS staff survey<!-- --><\/a>, the East of England had the highest number of staff who often found work emotionally exhausting (28%) and suffered from burnout (24%).<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The number is down from 2021 but, Sister Jakes said &#8220;quite a few&#8221; of her colleagues still had Long Covid, and for those who have lost relatives and loved ones, they could not forget and &#8220;they shouldn&#8217;t forget&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;People were traumatised&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d9a9eb20-033f-11f0-bd89-c3fdf6bb272d.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Nikki Fox\/BBC Dr Parvez Moondi stands in front of the critical care department at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. He is wearing blue scrubs with no PPE. He has a balding head and you can see his head and shoulders. He is looking straight at the camera and has brown eyes.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Nikki Fox\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dr Parvez Moondi worked as a consultant in the same department. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">He said one of the worst things was seeing patients and families separated.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;We tried to do our best with iPads because people weren&#8217;t allowed to visit but it was quite distressing to see patients suffer without their loved ones nearby,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I&#8217;m not surprised lots of people were traumatised.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dr Moondi worked four consecutive 12-hour shifts, staying at the hospital to protect his own family.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">His children were teenagers at the time, with one studying for GCSEs.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Sister Jakes home-schooled her child, who was then five, after deciding the risk of him bringing the illness home was too great.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;My school definitely required improvement!&#8221; she said. &#8220;It just seems like such a lifetime ago.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She said that she hoped they would be able to respond to any future pandemic better &#8211; and more efficiently.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Over Christmas we got a few more flu patients and that stirred up some emotions because we were pulling out the gowns and the masks and everything again,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;They [some staff] were almost a bit like &#8216;this is a bit close to home, I don&#8217;t think I really want to do this again&#8217;, but it never reached that peak.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dr Moondi said it was not until the studies came out that they got better at treating Covid and ensuring better outcomes. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It was quite an horrendous time, you wouldn&#8217;t want to go through that again,&#8221; he added.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jVHuOl\">\n<div class=\"sc-93223220-0 sc-46222299-0 ctbOlq eluqFz\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-46222299-2 gdGcRT\">More stories like this<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jVHuOl\">\n<div class=\"sc-93223220-0 sc-46222299-0 ctbOlq hmFIuq\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-46222299-2 gdGcRT\">Related internet links<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>6 hours ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24299,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24292\/revisions\/24299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}