Mindy Jackson

"March 15th, 2026" International Long Covid awareness Day. We honor all who have lost their lives, or livelihoods, due to COVID. It has been six years since the declaration of a global pandemic, and Long COVID research remains critically underfunded." Theres a logo for empowerment through community which is colorful interlocking abstract sketches of people in a circle holding hands.

"Long Covid & Me/CFS" "In 2025, RECOVER researchers found that new cases of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) were 15x higher than before the pandemic, with nearly 5 out of 100 people meeting diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS after having COVID. People who have both Long COVID & ME/CFS continue to suffer without proper care." Below is a picture of me covering my face

The following quotes are from our ongoing study about ME/CFS (n=268). Lack of access to acute and preventive care: “Where I live ppl w ME are not eligible for things like Paxlovid when we have a COVID infection, even though it is known that COVID can dramatically worsen ME. Many pp w ME are sensitive to certain vaccines but the government here will not order the Novavax so many are left unvaccinated. Appeals to political representatives for support on these issues are dismissed. . .” Header: Physical/physiological impact and disability “I’ve had ME/CFS since I was 13 and only got diagnosed in 2024, after getting covid at the end of 2021. In the early years especially, my crashes would look like extremely long sleep--I would often sleep 14-16 hours straight. “ “I mentioned in the previous answer that especially earlier in my illness, my typical crashes involved sleeping for as much as 14-16 hours straight. The other hallmark was drastically worse orthostatic intolerance, manifesting as dizziness, impaired proprioceptoin, and trouble balancing and walking. In early 2022, when I was developing Long Covid symptoms but still trying to work multiple jobs (!), I remember noticing that the day or two after a shift at my dancer job (so LOTS of exertion), I would stumble around my apartment almost like I was drunk. This was the biggest, most consistent clue when I started putting the pieces together to self-diagnose. . .” Lack of Access to Acute and Preventive Care Physical/physiological Impact and Disability “Long covid made every pre-existing chronic illness 10x worse. I'm terrified I will die in my 50s and heartbroken that my body cannot handle pregnancy.” Visit restandmecfs.com to learn more about the study.

"rior to contracting COVID, I had no limits, exercised vigorously 3-4 x/ week, and walked wherever/whenever I wanted (like, up to 9-11 miles a day!). I was an athletic person, and worked full time, and never lay down from getting up around 8 am until 10:30 at night. I developed ME/CFS symptoms immediately after Covid, and, although I am now mild, I immediately dropped in functional capacity in a day, and in exercise capacity. A body does not decondition in 10 days, but Long Covid hit like a bomb——destroying my old life, and my ability to sit up even, within 2 weeks of testing negative for that first Covid infection." PEM"At its worst feels like I'm having acute covid all over again: chills and body temp disregulation [sic]. PEM will trigger a cough. Congestion. Dizziness. Migraine. And of course just feeling so dead tired. like I'm made of led. My brain gets confused. Sometimes I am too tired to leave the sofa to go to bed. “ “It feels like having covid again. At its worst I will have lung pain, muscle spasms in face and body, elevated HR, broken sleep, nightsweats, sore throat, hardened glands, enormous light/ sound sensitivity (everything hurts), dizziness/POTS symptoms, migraine- like symptoms, air hunger/ breathlessness, body aches, and a tired- but-wired feeling where I feel an adrenaline rush as though I’ve just been chased by a bear even if I’ve been lying down resting all day.” Need for Specialists “We need long covid and ME/CFS specialists! Especially these specialists who accept insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, and are not outrageously priced (although I understand why they must do so). It is so wrong that Duke receives millions to conduct long COVID research and touted their AI tool that diagnoses ME/CFS, yet they do not have a single doctor who treats either long COVID or ME/CFS. . .”

I didn't have energy to write an op-ed this year, but I wanted to share this short research brief with a few quotes I pulled from my ongoing research study. Sending my love to everyone with LC. It is a tough week for me.

Hands Off!!

Same my friend. It feels so personal.

I'm not saying anything novel here but it really is just truly despicable to watch them use THEIR OWN COLOSSAL SCREW UP to slander the reporter THEY INCLUDED ON THEIR CLASSIFIED GROUP CHAT

A Statement from our Founder on the Closure of The Office for Long COVID Research and Practice To the millions we serve, Today it is with great sorrow that I announce by direction of the Trump administration, The Office for Long COVID Research and Practice has been ordered closed. The Office fo...

Here is the statement from the founder of the COVID 19 Longhauler Advocacy Project regarding the closure of the Office for Long Covid Research.

#longcovid
#C19LAP

🇺🇲

I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky

powerful detailed account of ICE captivity

"To put things into perspective: I had a Canadian passport, lawyers, resources, media attention, friends, family and even politicians advocating for me...Imagine what this system is like for every other person in there"

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Great to see the #MEAction protest! ❤️ #LongCOVIDAwarenessDay

www.facebook.com/share/r/1BZ6...

#longcovidawarenessday
#longcovid
#publichealtb

Add me please

A note I found in my writings about living with long COVID. #longcovidawarenessday #longcovid #publichealth

#longcovidawarenessday
#publichealtn
#fiveyearsoflongcovid

This is Marco Rubio explaining how the USA promised to defend Ukraine forever if they got rid of their nuclear arsenal left after the Soviet Union fell.

This is why lil marco was sinking into the couch. He was hoping we wouldn’t find it…so don’t RT right now this very second.

Quick trip through #ZionsNationalPark with @bigdogbo.bsky.social

Change your profile picture for #LongCOVIDAwareness2025 (or forever!) - save the below and upload it as your profile picture.

We are trying to work on a profile ring (tbd on availability- see comments for example).

www.facebook.com/share/r/129w...

No one is immune from disability. It can happen to anyone at anytime, regardless of how 'young and healthy' you are.

Stop believing you will be the exception, and start engaging in disability justice. It's far easier to fight for better support and treatment while you still have your health.

Great news everyone it was so much more FUCKING STUPID than it may at first appear
www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/c...

Now offline: Government resources about Long COVID as a disability - The Sick Times Several government resources about accommodations for people with Long COVID have become unavailable in the last week, following purges of government websites and datasets under the Trump administrati...

They are trying to erase us!
#Longcovid
#disability

Birds of a feather…

NATIONAL PROTEST PRESIDENTS DAY MONDAY FEBRUARY 17 2025 STATE CAPITOL / WHITEHOUSE 11AM

to cut out and distribute

Call to action: US national protest on Monday February 17 at your State Capitol or White House. Spread far and wide.

End Impunity
End Oligarchy
End Autogenocide

#3E #USprotests #eyesontheoval

Protection from COVID reinfections plummeted from 80% to 5% with omicron New study shows why annual COVID boosters are critical to controlling COVID.

arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

If you're not ok with sending a Nigerian prince your personal and private information, why would you be ok with a South African oligarch barging into government offices and stealing it?

Long COVID impacting more than 1 million children: CDC study suggests A new CDC study published Monday found that more than 1 million children were affected by long COVID in 2023. Higher levels were found in lower-income households.

USA: Long COVID impacting more than 1 million children: CDC study suggests.

"The authors said there may be an under-reporting of long COVID in younger children due to difficulty with the verbalization of their symptoms."

Study: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Duke researchers find cerebral blood flow drops, not heart rate or blood pressure, are key to orthostatic intolerance in POTS, long COVID, and ME/CFS.

Many patients are misdiagnosed.

Better CBF measurement is needed.

www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...

BREAKING: I’m hearing from several VA employees that they have been locked out of VATAS - thats how employees request leave - like administrative leave to file EEO complaints. It also shows your work schedule and OT. If this has happened to you, please reach out using the contact info in my bio.

Thousands of U.S. Government Web Pages Have Been Taken Down Since Friday Federal agencies moved to satisfy Trump’s orders to remove topics like diversity initiatives and “gender ideology.”

More than 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen U.S. government websites have been taken down since Friday afternoon, a New York Times analysis found. The purges have removed information about vaccines, veterans’ care, hate crimes, scientific research and more.

Senior USAID security officials put on leave after refusing Musk’s DOGE access to agency systems | CNN Politics Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave Saturday night after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Ef...

Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access systems at the agency, multiple sources familiar told CNN