betsy ladyzhets 😷

Can anyone point me to a resource on how sign "Long COVID" in American Sign Language? I've seen various ways from spelling it out, to using the sign for "Coronavirus" or "COVID-19" followed by "Long" or "Stay". I'm curious if there is any official guidance/recommendations. Many thanks 🙏

For a story in @thesicktimes.org, seeking organizers in any left movement work who’ve taken a break or fully stepped away from organizing sometime since 2020 due to Long COVID. They can be anonymous in the piece and may reach out directly at longdefeat.08 on Signal #LongCOVID #NEISvoid

I've been watching the Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar about a wellness scammer, and much of it is kinda cheesy but I enjoyed that the penultimate episode ends with a dramatic rendition of someone getting a "no surprises" email from a journalist.

This is so frustrating and disheartening. I spent months in 2020-21 on this feature about how all psychologists needed to prepare for an influx of Long Covid patients, yet APA's work largely stopped there. www.apa.org/monitor/2021...

Miles, a white, bearded man in his early 30s poses for a selfie infront of City Hall in Los Angeles. He wears a n-95 mask, white shirt, and bolo tie. It’s a sunny, Southern California day.

Three supporters of the Long COVID Awareness Day motion stand outside city hall. They all wear high quality black masks and pose for a photo infront of colorful tile.

BREAKING: the city of Los Angeles just officially recognized Long COVID Awareness Day, and will light City Hall teal in observation of the day on March 15.

I was at the City Hall meeting and just spoke with the advocates that made it happen. Story to come in @thesicktimes.org!

Six years in, mental health care providers are still uninformed on Long COVID. And it’s making the crisis worse. - The Sick Times Six years into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people living with Long COVID still aren’t getting the mental health support they need.

Today @thesicktimes.org: Elizabeth Yuko examines why people with Long COVID struggle to get appropriate mental health care. One big issue, she found, is that professional associations haven't offered guidance on the disease. thesicktimes.org/2026/02/24/s...

Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for February 24, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with an orange color) and stable (represented with a side to side arrow); CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-Cov-2, which is "moderate*" (orange) and slightly increasing (represented with a diagonal up arrow); and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and slightly decreasing (diagonal down arrow). 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." The middle text reads, “The U.S.’s long winter of airborne virus spread continues. COVID-19 is still spreading at higher levels in some parts of the country, particularly in the Midwest, and may be increasing further in other regions. — Betsy Ladyzhets.” The following slides feature quotes from the COVID-19 trends report at The Sick Times.

The U.S.’s long winter of airborne virus spread continues. COVID-19 is still spreading at higher levels in some parts of the country, particularly in the Midwest, and may be increasing further in other regions.

Read @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social's weekly COVID-19 trends report: bit.ly/4ayluyC

This was the coolest event! If you have any interest in writing Long COVID stories — or just generally want to feel encouraged by being surrounded by a panel of incredible people who just get it — you should definitely check it out!

Recording is now up! bsky.app/profile/bets...

How to write an op-ed about Long COVID - The Sick Times Op-eds, sometimes known as opinion or commentary, have been powerful in raising awareness and providing solutions for Long COVID, from early reports of the disease to calls to action that have inspire...

We've also published an article with key takeaways and tips from the event, by @mileswgriffis.bsky.social. thesicktimes.org/2026/02/24/h...

How to write an op-ed about Long COVID YouTube video by The Sick Times

The recording of our event last week on pitching and writing op-eds about Long COVID is now available on YouTube and on our website! @thesicktimes.org youtu.be/9qS6yFwP0OY?...

This was a really great event! I'm looking forward to sharing the recording in the next couple of days.

“I don’t think you can write to armor yourself against trolls and I don’t think you should," says @madelinemiller.bsky.social. Lots of amazing advice and insight at this panel from @thesicktimes.org!

Not quite the same but I’ve been thinking about how so many of us do audio, radio, DJ, performance work in respirators. I’m live on the radio for 2-3 hour shifts plus prep work, masked the whole time. No one can tell who’s masking on a radio or podcast mic, but we’re out there!

These artists are making concerts safer with COVID-19 precautions - The Sick Times While most of the music industry has “moved on,” COVID-conscious performers have been working to prevent their shows from being superspreaders.

Today @thesicktimes.org: Some musicians are prioritizing COVID-19 precautions at concerts, protecting themselves and their fans while making the shows more inclusive.

By @katiechow.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/02/17/t...

These artists are making concerts safer with COVID-19 precautions - The Sick Times While most of the music industry has moved on, COVID-conscious performers have been working to prevent their shows from being superspreaders.

For @thesicktimes.org, I looked at the state of COVID safety in live music and how artists and event producers can still protect themselves and audiences thesicktimes.org/2026/02/17/t...

Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for February 17, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with an orange color) and reported a slight decrease (represented with a diagonal down arrow); CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-Cov-2, which is "moderate*" (orange) and stable (side to side arrow); and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and stable. 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." Text: Both COVID-19 and the seasonal flu have been spreading at higher levels in the U.S. for months now, and that trend is likely to continue with both pathogens for several more weeks. While national COVID-19 metrics are stable or slowly declining, the disease is increasing in concentration in some parts of the country as it decreases in others.

Both COVID-19 and the seasonal flu have been spreading at higher levels in the U.S. for months now, and that trend is likely to continue with both pathogens for several more weeks.

Read this week's full COVID-19 trends report from
@betsyladyzhets.bsky.social: bit.ly/4kQaEaD

One of my favorite things to do is discover a new favorite Mountain Goats song. Especially good if it's a song from a lo-fi record* but there is a recent live recording where Jon Wurster and Matt Douglas are really having fun with it**

(*"Orange Ball of Pain," **the "Going to Princeton" version)

This review does a good job at highlighting some problems I felt while reading a review copy of the book.

This part in particular worried me: "Mendenhall side-eyes 'biomedicine' and 'quick fixes like pharmaceuticals.'"

Many of us get to a basic level of functioning thanks to pills.

America's disease surveillance system is going dark. Here's what we can build to replace it America’s disease surveillance system is broken. Here’s how to replace it.

“I could spend this essay demanding the federal government restore these databases. But I learned something during the AIDS epidemic… Waiting for Washington to do the right thing can mean watching people die while politicians debate. So let me propose what we can build while we wait.”

This piece started as a letter to the editors that Shielding wrote in response to our posting an excerpt from the book (which we later took down). I really appreciated that we were able to expand it into a full review, and of course pay Shielding for this important critique!

“Invisible Illness” could have been transgressive. Instead, it minimizes Long COVID. - The Sick Times The book fails to convey the severity of infection-associated chronic conditions, demands for treatment, or importance of infection prevention.

Today @thesicktimes.org: Shielding Cournoyer reviews the book "Invisible Illness."

"Though Mendenhall accurately acknowledges the harm of psychologizing illness, her thesis does exactly that." thesicktimes.org/2026/02/13/i...

A fantastic opportunity for budding writers!

Registration link in post 👇

Yes! We'll post it on YouTube afterwards, and will email the link directly to folks who register.

Email sent to NHS elearning enquiries on 12 January 2026. Subject - Request for information. Dear NHSE elearning hub, I am making a freedom of information request (FOIA 2000) for the following data. In 2024/5, the NHS England elfh e-learning hub introduced 3 new modules on ME/CFS: 1. An introduction to ME/CFS (May 2024). 2. ME/CFS: guidance for community-based healthcare practitioners (January 2025). 3. Managing Severe ME/CFS (September 2025). Please can you tell me how many people have completed each module to date (from date of introduction), and what the breakdown is for logins by NHS staff (nhs.uk), and those in government (gov.uk), academic (ac.uk), and social care sectors (if available). I am happy for your response to be sent to this email address. Many thanks for your help, Lucy B

About a month ago, I made a FOIA request to the NHS England Learning Hub about their new learning modules on ME/CFS...

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Very excited for this event we're hosting next week!

Re-upping an older piece to illustrate that Covid precautions - especially for athletes - are not “extreme”. It’s not just about performance on the day of competition; long Covid can literally cost athletes their careers

A graphic shows Maryland Delegate Greg Wims reading off of a computer during a House of Delegates event. Behind him, the photo is overlaid with a screenshot from the Maryland legislature’s website showing the progress of HB0027, the Long COVID innovation bill’s designation in the House. It is currently in the “referral to committee” phase and soon to have a hearing. The background behind that timeline is the Maryland state flag. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Maryland considers Long COVID innovation bill. The novel legislation would support grants and loans for Long COVID research and development, building on an existing state program. By Betsy Ladyzhets.”

Community members interested in supporting the bill. Lawmakers will discuss the bill in two hearings next week. House of Delegates’ Health committee Tuesday, February 10 2 p.m. ET Supporters can submit testimony for the House hearing on Friday, February 6, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET. Senate’s Finance committee Thursday, February 12 1 p.m. ET. Supporters can submit testimony for the House hearing on Tuesday, February 10, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET.

Community members interested in supporting the bill. Community members interested in supporting the bill can submit written testimony explaining what it would mean for them after making an account on the Maryland General Assembly website. Instructions and guidance are available at: mdlongcovid.com mgaleg.maryland.gov People can also mark that they support the bill by marking their position as "favorable" without writing testimony.

Maryland is considering a Long COVID innovation bill that would support grants and loans for Long COVID research and development, building on an existing state program. bit.ly/4aisb6v

Maryland considers Long COVID innovation bill - The Sick Times Maryland may soon become the first U.S. state to directly support Long COVID research and development. The state’s government is considering a bill that would establish a grant and loan program dedica...

Community members interested in supporting the bill can submit testimony in its favor today and then again on Tuesday. More details about how to do that are in the story. thesicktimes.org/2026/02/06/m...