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The Sick Times
@thesicktimes.org
28K followers 260 following 550 posts
A nonprofit news site chronicling the #LongCOVID crisis. Founded by journalists @BetsyLadyzhets.bsky.social & @MilesWGriffis.bsky.social

Website: thesicktimes.org
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Donate: the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
thesicktimes.org
🚌 Two recent studies state that Long COVID is an occupational disease

👩🏽‍⚕️ Vanderbilt researchers are conducting an immune profiling study on Long COVID and POTS

💊 A new phase two remote clinical trial for ME will assess low-dose naltrexone

This week's #LongCOVID research: bit.ly/49bWgnJ
Two young healthcare workers stand in an orange room of a hospital or clinic. One wears a high quality mask, while the other wears a surgical mask. The text reads, “Long COVID research updates. Two recent studies state that Long COVID is an occupational disease. Vanderbilt researchers are conducting an immune profiling study on Long COVID and POTS. A new phase two remote clinical trial for ME will assess low-dose naltrexone.” Two recent studies state that Long COVID is an occupational disease. The first, a Catalan study of over 2,000 workers, found that those with higher-risk occupations had a 44% higher likelihood of developing Long COVID, compared to people with lower-risk jobs. The higher-risk occupations included healthcare professionals, teachers, retail workers, transport workers, and others. A second study from the U.K. of over 4,000 healthcare workers found that the disease affected different ethnicities, sexes, and occupational roles in different ways. Both studies found that nearly a quarter of workers in their cohorts developed Long COVID. Vanderbilt researchers are conducting an immune profiling study on people with Long COVID and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). In the cross-sectional study, researchers are comparing three inflammatory markers in 150 people with POTS, Long COVID, and those with a history of SARS-C0V-2 infections who did not develop long-term symptoms. The researchers are evaluating a hypothesis that “post-COVID-19 POTS is caused by reduced [parasympathetic] activity, which in turn, contributes to persistent inflammation [and] orthostatic intolerance.” Contact: Marwa Mohamed, marwa.mohamed@vumc.org. A new phase two remote clinical trial was recently announced for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The study will assess low-dose naltrexone (LDN), a drug that is also being studied for Long COVID. The blinded study will recruit 75 participants from anywhere in the U.S. to trial the drug, testing it at four different doses between 1.5 and 6 milligrams for ten months. The trial is set to start recruiting in April 2026. Contact: Jared Younger, younger@uab.edu.
December 26, 2025 at 3:13 PM
thesicktimes.org
COVID-19 spread continues to increase across the U.S. as we head into the most travel-and-gathering-heavy part of the year. Flu levels are also going up, more aggressively than COVID-19.

Read @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social's weekly COVID-19 trends report: bit.ly/44K5je9
Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for December 23, 2025. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "medium" (represented with a dark yellow color) and reports a significant increase (represented with an up arrow); CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-Cov-2, which is "low*" (darker yellow) and stable (side to side arrow); and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and slightly increasing. Text below these metrics reads: "* CDC wastewater viral activity levels are calculated based on measurements in the last two years only. They do not account for the lower spread that could be possible with more widespread precautions."
December 23, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
betsyladyzhets.bsky.social
Today @thesicktimes.org: Two companies recently debuted AI tools for people with Long COVID. Some people find them helpful for managing symptoms and following research; others are concerned about the technology.

By @ravindranize.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2025/12/23/n...
New AI tools are helping some people manage Long COVID - The Sick Times
RTHM and TurnTo recently debuted Long COVID intelligence platforms. Some have found them helpful, but others are concerned about AI.
thesicktimes.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
heatherhogan.bsky.social
Seems like a pretty cool time to donate to @thesicktimes.org, a newsroom where two of the best humans I have ever met call the shots!

the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
December 22, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by The Sick Times
If you're able to, please consider donating to @thesicktimes.org to keep supporting important journalism on COVID and Long COVID.

the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/

/end
Join | The Sick Times
The Sick Times is supported by people like you. Support The Sick Times today.
the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
suzbrockmann.bsky.social
I contributed to @thesicktimes.org as a holiday gift to myself.
December 22, 2025 at 2:25 PM
thesicktimes.org
Changes to telehealth policies are more than an inconvenience. Virtual care cuts hurt access for everyone, especially people with disabilities. bit.ly/493L4JM
A picture of a bright red cord telephone floats above a light blue backdrop contaning a grid patter of white SARS-CoV-2 viruses that almost resemble snowflakes. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Telehealth is vital for people with Long COVID. Don’t let it disappear. By Aly Laube.” [If all of my medical visits were in person, I] would miss a good chunk of them just due to my fatigue and not being able to leave the house. - Dani, Person with Long COVID
December 22, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
@thesicktimes.org is one of the only newsrooms dedicated to widescale coverage of #LongCOVID. They need our support in their end of year fundraiser.

Through their support, I published two major stories this year.

1/🧵

bsky.app/profile/thes...
The Sick Times (@thesicktimes.org)
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.…
bsky.app
December 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
han-written.bsky.social
🆘No other outlet is reporting on the Long COVID crisis with the compassion or veracity of @thesicktimes.org.

💰But they need your help to continue this work - please consider donating or, even better, becoming a monthly supporter. Some of my favourite work from this year includes...
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
December 21, 2025 at 4:46 PM
thesicktimes.org
🚑 Study: veterans diagnosed with Long COVID had
34% higher risk of visiting ER

🩸 Study: LC is characterized by “chronic inflammation, immune exhaustion, and metabolic dysregulation”

💶 ME Association has awarded £1.1 million to study Long COVID and ME

#LongCOVID research updates: bit.ly/3KIYDGy
A close up photo of the back of an ambulance. The colorful blue and orange painted on the vehicle contrast are emphasized by a patly cloudy sky. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Long COVID research updates. A new study found that veterans diagnosed with Long COVID had a 34% higher risk of visiting the ER. A small study concluded Long COVID is characterized by “chronic inflammation, immune exhaustion, and metabolic dysregulation”. ME Association has awarded £1.1 million in funding to the Imperial College London to study Long COVID and ME.” A new observational study in Cureus found that veterans diagnosed with Long COVID had a 34% higher risk of visiting the emergency department (ED) six months following infection than those without Long COVID. The study included the electronic health records of 172,945 individuals receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration, who had tested positive for COVID-19 from March to December, 2021, identifying those with Long COVID by the disease’s ICD-10 code. “[Long COVID] poses a considerable threat to public health for the U.S. veteran and the general U.S. population,” the authors concluded. “Our data demonstrate that [Long COVID] is characterized by chronic inflammation, immune exhaustion, and metabolic dysregulation,” scientists concluded in a new study published in Nature Immunology. The authors assessed 142 individuals in the study, including people with Long COVID and controls, and found upregulation of inflammation (including the JAK-STAT and IL-6 pathways) more than at least 180 days beyond initial infection. While limited to a small cohort, the authors suggested the results make an argument for JAK STAT inhibitors as therapeutic targets. The U.K. charity the ME Association has awarded £1.1 million ($1.5 million USD) in funding to the Imperial College London to study immunological profiles of Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The three-year study will include 250 people with each disease, matched with controls, and evaluate stool, blood, and saliva samples. The study will also include collaboration with the team of DecodeME, working on genetic studies about ME. “It makes sense to study both conditions in parallel and in detail – which is what the Rosetta Stone study will do,” said ME Association medical advisor Charles Shepherd in a press release.
December 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
mileswgriffis.bsky.social
New in @thesicktimes.org this week: Delfina Marchese reports on Long COVID in Colombia.

One of the few studies is testing “cognitive rehabilitation therapy,” which recently failed in a U.S. trial.

thesicktimes.org/2025/12/16/d...
Despite Long COVID’s ongoing impact, research in Colombia is limited - The Sick Times
One of the few Long COVID research studies in Colombia is testing cognitive rehabilitation therapy. This approach recently failed in a U.S. clinical trial.
thesicktimes.org
December 18, 2025 at 7:22 PM
thesicktimes.org
Like other South American countries, Colombia lacks awareness of #LongCOVID. There are no specialized clinics and only a handful of research studies, and there is minimal media attention. bit.ly/4j3iTzb
At a mobile health clinic, a health worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine into a patient’s arm. Two other workers sit at a table behind them. The workers are wearing personal protective equipment, including KN95 masks, and fun hats with bright colors. A sign hung up behind the table reads, “Vacuna es segura” (“The vaccine is safe”), and shares other information about COVID-19 precautions. The text on the slide reads, “The Sick Times. Despite Long COVID’s ongoing impact, research in Colombia is limited. By Delfina Marchese.” Members of Long COVID Colombia, a WhatsApp support group, “are totally willing to participate in any trial that there is here in Colombia,” Rodriguez said. “Everything has been very difficult here.” - Claudia Rodriguez, Person with Long COVID in Colombia
December 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
thesicktimes.org
On Monday, HHS hosted an event that announced new initiatives for Lyme disease. The roundtable followed a similar event on Long COVID, which still hasn’t led to action.

Read more from @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social and @mileswgriffis.bsky.social: bit.ly/4p0BQnA
Senator Susan Collins speaks at the second Lyme disease roundtable. She is a white woman in her early 70s and swears a grey blazer and white shirt. Behind her a sign reads “lyme disease roundtable”. The text reads, “The Sick Times. HHS hosts event and announces new initiatives for Lyme disease, but advocates are skeptical about follow-through. By Betsy Ladyzhets and Miles W. Griffis.” I’m hoping in the new year that [ARPA-H] can get moving on chronic Lyme and Long COVID…Words are easy, and action is much more difficult. — Devin Russel, Long COVID Foundation
December 17, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
mileswgriffis.bsky.social
Our team at @thesicktimes.org covered yesterday's HHS Lyme Disease Roundtable and recently updated the story to include all speakers present at the discussion.

Read on for a recap, new government initiatives for Lyme, and Kennedy's debunked conspiracy theories 🤦‍♂️

thesicktimes.org/2025/12/16/h...
HHS hosts event and announces new initiatives for Lyme disease, but advocates are skeptical about follow-through - The Sick Times
The Lyme disease roundtable followed a similar event on Long COVID, which still hasn’t led to action on the disease
thesicktimes.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
betsyladyzhets.bsky.social
Our write-up of the event: thesicktimes.org/2025/12/16/h...
December 16, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
bhanlon15.bsky.social
The Sick Times: 'HHS hosts event and announces new initiatives for Lyme disease, but advocates are skeptical about follow-through'

'The Lyme disease roundtable followed a similar event on Long COVID, which still hasn’t led to action on the disease'

thesicktimes.org/2025/12/16/h...
HHS hosts event and announces new initiatives for Lyme disease, but advocates are skeptical about follow-through - The Sick Times
The Lyme disease roundtable followed a similar event on Long COVID, which still hasn’t led to action on the disease
thesicktimes.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:48 PM
thesicktimes.org
After a couple of weeks of uneven increases, COVID-19 spread is now clearly going up in the U.S. across most major metrics and most regions. We have also passed the CDC’s threshold for flu season.

Read @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social's full COVID-19 trends report: bit.ly/4qfBlqJ
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 PM
thesicktimes.org
"Until governments and health systems step up, the community can be the difference between someone making it through the next month — or not."

A Q&A with ME advocate Nevra Elis & her support network: bit.ly/4pzAGjW
A photo of Nevra Elis on a hospital bed. She is a Pakistani woman with severe ME and wears a white and blue hospital gown and a blue surgical mask. Her eyes are closed and she lays on her back. The text reads, “The Sick Times. “Medically neglected” and “structurally erased”: International network appeals for ME advocate Nevra Elis. Q&A with Nevra members of Team Nevra.” In short: Nevra is not just medically neglected — she is structurally erased. Her identities make her easier for systems to ignore, even as her life depends on people finally choosing not to look away.
December 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
mileswgriffis.bsky.social
📣 "Nevra’s story is not an isolated tragedy — it [shows] how ME patients of color in the Global South are systematically excluded from research, advocacy, media representation, & life-saving care."

A new Q&A with ME advocate Nevra Elis & her support network:

thesicktimes.org/2025/12/15/m...
“Medically neglected” and “structurally erased”: International network appeals for ME advocate Nevra Elis - The Sick Times
This fall, an international group of people known as Team Nevra has led an ongoing campaign to fundraise and help find care for Nevra Elis, an advocate living with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME...
thesicktimes.org
December 15, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
mileswgriffis.bsky.social
The HHS roundtable on Lyme disease has just kicked off.

RFK jr. opened the discussion by stating Lyme disease has greatly affected his own family, citing his and his sons' experience with the disease. "We have to make it safe for children to go back into the woods.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3il...
Lyme Disease Roundtable
YouTube video by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
www.youtube.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
betsyladyzhets.bsky.social
This afternoon, RFK Jr. is hosting a roundtable event about Lyme disease, featuring patients and health providers. HHS says the event will include an announcement of "new diagnostic efforts."

@thesicktimes.org is watching, and will likely have a short write-up of the highlights later today.
December 15, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
mldavies.bsky.social
Please please support if you can. This site does vital work.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
December 14, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Reposted by The Sick Times
wendykloiber.bsky.social
It would be really hard to lose The Sick Times - they do work for our community that no other outlet can replace. Please consider a gift to them. They are asking for so little and do so much.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
December 12, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
sagetoko.bsky.social
The Sick Times does extremely important work reporting on studies and news relevant to the #ME/CFS #pwME and #LongCovid communities. I have become a monthly supporter, and encourage you to do the same if you can.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
December 12, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by The Sick Times
katrinajanco.bsky.social
Proud to be a monthly supporter.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17d
We’re over halfway through our end-of-year fundraiser, and we’re not where we need to be to keep our vital work going. We have three weeks left to hit our goals of $60,000 and 200 monthly supporters.

The #LongCOVID community needs us — we need you! the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Text reads, "The Long COVID community needs us. We need you." Four testimonials from Sick Times readers in speech bubbles: “I desperately need the information you publish and can find it nowhere else.” “The Sick Times does essential work for the Long COVID community.” “You're indispensable and genuine. I trust your dedication to our community.” “I appreciate everything all of you do to keep publishing the truth in a world that cares little for it.”
December 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM