COVID: Stories from a Segregated Society

Is the pandemic over?

For most people, perhaps. 

But many of us are still living with its after-effects.

Our pandemic experiences varied from community to community because reliable information was much harder for some of us to access.

But COVID-19 also showed the positive impact communities can have on public health and wellbeing. 

From oximeters and MRI to Community Memories and doffing sheds, Stories from a Segregated Society shares how communities came together through COVID — and why researchers at Oxford University and around the world are working to understand the long-term impacts of the virus.

Ketai's Story

Ketai is one of more than half a million people in the UK still living with the impact of COVID.

 

COVID came for all of us, like a thief in the night, unannounced.

Do You Feel Forgotten?

Forgotten Lives UK campaigns for support and research to protect those still vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

 

I had to stay at home and felt guilty because of the impact on the family.

Fighting Isolation

We know being part of a community has a positive impact on health and well-being.

 

Where you see a mask and restriction, I see Freedom.

Fighting Isolation: COVID and Mental Health

We talked with researchers from Oxford University working to understand the impact of Long COVID.

 

I'm going to find answers.

Speaking Up

People with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer serious infections or die from COVID-19.

 

I was often struck by the ways people with diabetes have been affected by this pandemic.

In It Together

We know that volunteering, being creative and giving back to society all improve our sense of well-being.

 

I started to offer free charcoal portraits to NHS staff.

In It Together: Communities

Oxford University took part in a national initiative to help vulnerable groups monitor oxygen levels at home.

 

Patients were sometimes unaware how sick they were.

Gaining Trust

Community leaders can be an integral partners in improving access to care.

 

Engaging with faith-based organizations [is] an underutilized way to promote health education.

Pitching In

Intensive care teams used "doffing sheds" to remove personal protective equipment.

 

To keep everyone's spirits up, [medical students] scralled light-hearted graffiti on the walls.

Community Memories

We asked people what helped and cheered them up during the pandemic.

 

When either of us was ill, the humour was always there.

Community Memories: The Wall

Here are just some of the stories we heard from Oxford residents about their pandemic experiences.

 

My son used to send me jigsaw puzzles during lockdown.

Interview with Mark and Katie Oakley

 

You join me with my daughter Katie who's been alongside me on this crazy journey to try and improve the lives of people who are immunocompromised.