Cornerstone wins The Long Covid Handbook from world’s leading Long Covid expert and ‘expert patient’ Medinger & Altmann in 4-way auction

We are absolutely delighted that on 20 October 2022, Cornerstone Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, will publish The Long Covid Handbook—the definitive guide to a pressing and widely misunderstood health condition that gathers the latest cutting-edge science and patient-led research into symptoms, treatment and recovery of Long Covid. While vaccination programmes may have brought us to the final stages of the acute pandemic, over 1.5 million people in the UK are currently suffering from Long Covid (ONS). Despite this, trustworthy and centralised guidance about appropriate tests and treatments are still scarce, and with many Long Covid clinics having closed and 15 weeks waiting times for those that remains.

Acquired by Senior Commissioning Editor Zennor Compton, in a four-way auction, from Agent Hattie Grünewald, The Long Covid Handbook will shine light on the current most appropriate tests and treatments, the importance of treating Long Covid and why some of us contract is and others don’t for both patients and clinicians seeking to better understand and treat the condition.

It is written by Long Covid sufferer, ‘expert patient’ and researcher, journalist and YouTuber Gez Medinger alongside the world’s leading Long Covid expert Professor Danny Altmann, immunologist at Imperial College London.

After struggling with Long Covid symptoms such as crippling fatigue, headaches and cognitive dysfunction for months without relief, Gez Medinger began to research the science of post viral conditions and unpick the minefield of patient advice, NHYS guidance, clinical studies and patient lead forums. Sharing his findings on YouTube as an ‘expert patient’, Gez amassed a worldwide community of over 40,000 subscribers with over 5million views, and has interviewed the world’s leading clinicians and conducted over a dozen patient-led studies. His research being quoted in New Scientist, New York Times, Men’s Health, The Times (UK). 

His co-writer Danny Altmann is Professor of Immunology at Imperial College and the world’s leading expert on Long Covid. Danny has advised the government throughout the pandemic and is a member of SAGE’s Covid Taskforce. He previously worked as lead on strategy in infection, immunity and population health at the Wellcome Trust. 

The effects of Long Covid are debilitating, with a recent NHS study found that Long Covid, is more debilitating than advanced lung cancer. And the latest patient-lead research also shows that without treatment or management, 93% of sufferers of Long Covid are still unable to work after 12 months. Long Covid is not just an issue of personal health but a growing societal and economic issue too, with a quarter of UK employers say long Covid is now one of the main causes of long-term sickness absence among their staff. 

But with the healthcare systems already stretched to the limit, evidence-based medicine lagging ten years behind any new condition, and millions of sufferers out there looking for help, concise and reliable advice is still so hard to come by. The Long Covid Handbook aims to answer those questions.