Kate Garraway’s new BBC2 series Your Body Uncovered shows augmented reality recreation of Covid | Daily Mail Online

A grandmother who was left ‘drowning’ with Covid was shocked to see an augmented version of what the virus did to her body in a new BBC documentary. 

Rozi, 71, was hospitalised for eleven days at St Mary’s Hospital in west London after catching the virus on a family holiday after restrictions eased in summer 2020. 

However six weeks after leaving hospital Rozi was still suffering from breathing problem and fatigue, and appeared on BBC2 series Your Body Uncovered to try and discover what had happened to her body.  

She met with Dr Guddi Singh and consultant Ernie Wong, who treated her in hospital, and was shown an augmented 3D image of her lungs as they are now, and when she had Covid.  

The grandmother became emotional as she saw the detrimental impact the virus had on her body, with air sacs in her lungs becoming so filled with fluid it left her struggling to breathe. 

Rozi, 71, was appeared on BBC2 series Your Body Uncovered to discover what her body looked like when she had Covid. The grandmother was shown an augmented reality version of what the virus, represented by yellow fog, looked like once it had spread inside her lungs

The doctors explained to Rozi that the virus caused her lungs to develop several patches of abnormal tissue (pictured) which had become inflamed

Doctors explained that at the end of our airways are 300 million microscopic air sacs. When we breathe in, these sacs fill with air and the blood vessels around them collect oxygen to feed our body (pictured, a replica of Rozi’s air sacs without fluid inside) 

The doctors explained how breathing in droplets of the virus through her upper airway infected the lungs, and that her white blood cells and antibodies were slow to fight the virus. 

Once the virus had spread to the lungs, Rozi was shown how it multiplied inside her body – with the grandmother shocked at how far the ‘angry looking’ Covid had spread. 

The doctors explained to Rozi that the virus caused her lungs to develop several patches of abnormal tissue, which had become inflamed. 

The inflammation in Rozi’s lungs meant excessive immune cells gathered to fight the infection, however unwittingly worsened her condition by causing a backlog of cells to pass through her airways.  

When Rozi was infected with Covid, the sacs filled up with a collection of fluid, mucus and dead cells, meaning she struggled to breathe (pictured, a replica of Rozi’s air sacs while filing up with fluid)

Over one quarter of Rozi’s air sacs were full of fluid when she had Covid, meaning she lost a quarter of her capacity to breathe. Pictured, a replica of Rozi’s air sacs once filled with fluid 

Doctors explained that at the end of our airways are 300 million microscopic air sacs. When we breathe in, these sacs fill with air and the blood vessels around them collect oxygen to feed our body.

When Rozi was infected with Covid, the sacs filled up with a collection of fluid, mucus and dead cells, meaning she struggled to breathe – with the grandmother describing the sensation as similar to ‘drowning’.  

Over one quarter of Rozi’s air sacs were full of fluid when she had Covid, meaning she lost a quarter of her capacity to breathe. 

The air sacs are impossible to see to the human eye, but the doctors created their best estimate of what they may have looked like in Rozie’s case.  

Viewers were stunned by the programme, which used augmented reality technology to show Rozi the inside of her body in 3D and full size, hailing the show ‘brilliant and emotional’. 

BBC viewers have praised Kate Garraway’s latest series which saw her show a 71-year-old grandmother the damage Covid-19 had on her body

Grandmother Rozi, 71, was hospitalised for eleven days at St Mary’s Hospital in west London after catching the virus on a family holiday after restrictions eased in summer 2020

‘Congratulations to #BBC2 for the programme ‘your body uncovered’ Amazing, educational, showcasing augmented reality technology which helps ordinary people to understand how the body works. Emotional’, wrote one viewer. 

‘Kate Garraway, just watched ‘your body uncovered’ tonight. Absolutely brilliant. Both the covid lung problem and the prostate problem were so informative. The ‘patients’ were so giving. And you Kate are a natural at this. Fantastic.’, said another. 

A third wrote: ‘Brilliant and interesting Kate – don’t know how you find the time but thanks for Your Body Uncovered.’

When Covid-19 restrictions eased, and transmission rates reduced, Rozi and her husband Jonni decided to take a holiday with their family to the Peak District. 

However on returning home, the couple both began to feel unwell, with Rozi explaining: ‘He looked not well, which is unusual for him. 

‘So I took his temperature which was way up high. The next morning we decided to do a PCR, his was positive and so was mine.’ 

While Jonni recovered quickly, Rozi became severely unwell and when her condition deteriorated she was admitted to hospital and placed on a high dependency Covid ward. 

Viewers were stunned by the programme, which used augmented reality technology to show Rozi the inside of her body in 3D and full size, hailing the show ‘brilliant and emotional’

‘I thought to myself, “I’m never coming out of here”,’ said Rozi. ‘I’d never felt so bad in my life.’ 

After 11 long days Rozi was discharged, but after six weeks her lungs had still not fully recovered – something Kate host was easily able to relate to. 

‘As I think you know my husband got sick right at the very beginning of the pandemic, when I don’t think they really knew the effects on the body,’ she said. ‘A lot of things, of course, we’re still discovering now.

‘What do you hope seeing the impact Covid had on your lungs? What do you hope it will bring to you?’ 

‘It will close the circle for me,’ said the grandmother. ‘To understand in a visual way what happened to my body, what made me so very sick.’  

Speaking to Jonni, Kate said: ‘It must have been so hard for you, and I’ve been through this as well’

Seven weeks after being released from hospital, Rozi underwent a scan to determine if there was any ongoing damage to her lungs and told Kate the good news that there had been no scarring 

An emotional Kate said: ‘I’m not allowed to hug you but I want to!’ after hearing the news that Rozi would make a full recovery 

Speaking to Jonni, Kate said: ‘It must have been so hard for you, and I’ve been through this as well. Watching her get more and more sick and not being able to see her in hospital, it’s so tough.’  

Seven weeks after being released from hospital, Rozi underwent a scan to determine if there was any ongoing damage to her lungs, discovering that while she wasn’t totally back to normal – there is no scarring to the organ.  

‘It’s like magic’, she said to Kate. ‘It’s like i’ve been through a long dark tunnel and out the other side. ‘It’s not exactly where I was before, it’s somewhere else. It’s a new place a new start and I’m very grateful to God and Ernie Wong.’

An emotional Kate said: ‘I’m not allowed to hug you but I want to!’

Rozi went on: ‘God should know how grateful I am to be back with my family and my kids and my gorgeous husband. It is wonderful and in the fullness of time I hope Derk gets there too.’ 

Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway airs on BBC2 on Wednesdays