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Miles W. Griffis

@mileswgriffis.bsky.social
6K followers 673 following 656 posts

Co-founder/editor @TheSickTimes.org Columnist @HighCountryNews.org miles@thesicktimes.org #LongCOVID

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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 7h
While there are no data sources on Long COVID in prison, experts suspect rates of the disease may be higher there than in the general population. They face high reinfection risks and poor access to medical care. Read more from @octoberk.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/09/29/i...
A graphic shows two images side by side. One are mobility devices, including many walkers, outside of prison cells. Another shows a red SARS-CoV-2 virus contrasted with a black background. The text reads, “The Sick Times. I interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. By October Krausch. Meanwhile, her cellmate, Wayland Scott, says he has frequently had problems breathing after COVID-19, and gets winded going up the stairs he must take to get to his cell. Even so, he has not been able to receive an inhaler, despite having one before Long COVID when he first came to prison. “There was a year that they had a big shortage of the albuterol. And when that happened, I got taken off of my inhaler and I’ve never been able to get it back,” he said.
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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 29/09/2026
The current COVID-19 picture remains varied by region: as the summer wave continues into early fall, cases are trending up in the Northeast and parts of the West and down in the South. And an upcoming gap between CDC contracts will further restrict available data. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/29/n...
Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for September 29, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with red) and slightly decreasing (represented with a diagonal down 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 decreasing. 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 current COVID-19 picture remains varied by region: as the summer wave continues into early fall, cases are trending up in the Northeast and parts of the West and down in the South. And an upcoming gap between CDC contracts will further restrict available data.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Really proud to publish this piece by @octoberk.bsky.social on Long COVID in prisons. "All those who spoke to @thesicktimes.org lacked Long COVID–informed medical care, but more than that, they lacked access to basic information about the disease." thesicktimes.org/2026/09/29/i...
thesicktimes.org
I interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick Times
While there are no data sources on Long COVID in prison, experts suspect rates of the disease may be higher there than in the general population. They face high reinfection risks and poor access to me...
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"John Richard Green, who is imprisoned in Texas, wrote that, w/ Long COVID, his health is “more messed up than the floor of a New York cab...Now I am bedbound, sick, and all alone." Vital feature by @octoberk.bsky.social about the disease's invisibility in prison. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/29/i...
thesicktimes.org
I interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick Times
While there are no data sources on Long COVID in prison, experts suspect rates of the disease may be higher there than in the general population. They face high reinfection risks and poor access to me...
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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
october "pre-order The Struggle Is Always Worth It now!" krausch @octoberk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
this investigation on long COVID inside of prisons is out today at the Sick Times! I worked on this piece for months and am so grateful to the folks who shared their experiences with me. I'll write up a real thread a little later, but you can read it now: thesicktimes.org/2026/09/29/i...
thesicktimes.org
I interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick Times
While there are no data sources on Long COVID in prison, experts suspect rates of the disease may be higher there than in the general population. They face high reinfection risks and poor access to me...
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jane c. hu @janehu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
are you an early career science writer looking to improve your craft? apply for @theopennotebook.bsky.social's early career fellowship! you spend a year developing and writing stories with a mentor. it's all remote work and you get a stipend. apply by oct 31! www.theopennotebook.com/early-career...
theopennotebook.com
Early-Career Fellowship Program - The Open Notebook
Every year, The Open Notebook offers a paid, part-time fellowship program for early-career science journalists. This ten-month program offers fellows the opportunity to explore their career interests and passions and to sharpen their skills as part of a talented, supportive, diverse community of past and present fellows and mentors. This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
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Oni Blackstock, MD MHS @oniblackstock.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In 2023, gay and bisexual men were 66% of new HIV diagnoses. From 2008 to 2023, diagnoses fell 34% for white, just 5% for Black, and rose 52% for Latino MSM (AIDSVu). To find HIV testing & PrEP services, visit iamhivpossible.org #IAmHIVPossible
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Heather Hogan @heatherhogan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It would be so cool if you would take this survey! Instagram is right on your tail with their engagement in our survey, Bluesky! Come on now, don't let META beat you!!!!
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colin feral @sal.gay · 26/09/2026
A great time to revisit this piece by @mileswgriffis.bsky.social!
them.us
These Are the Drag Artists and Organizers Fighting to Make Queer Spaces More COVID Safe
Air purifier lending libraries, mask blocs, and mutual aid initiatives are just a few of the ways activists are making spaces where LGBTQ+ people gather more COVID-safe.
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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 25/09/2026
Study: More evidence of reduced blood flow to the brain of people with Long COVID Analysis: The U.S. is ill-equipped to respond to LC and future mass disabling events Preprint: Assessed over 700 LC clinical trials and found that they emphasized treating symptoms thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/r...
A visual shows functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain, which allow researchers to visualize the activity of the brain. Three scans surround a 3-d image of a human head with a view into their brain. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Long COVID research updates. A small study found more evidence of reduced blood flow to the brain of people with Long COVID. New analysis: The U.S. is ill-equipped to respond to Long COVID and future mass disabling events. A recent preprint assessed over 700 Long COVID clinical trials and found that they emphasized treating symptoms.” A small study in NeuroImage: Reports has found more evidence of reduced blood flow to the brain of people with Long COVID. The authors concluded that this abnormality was linked with fatigue, after they assessed brain imaging results of 22 people with Long COVID and compared them with 19 controls. Participants of the study performed a 20-minute cognitive test called psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), while undergoing a type of MRI that tracks blood flow. People with Long COVID reported much higher fatigue than controls both before and after the task, and “exhibited significantly longer reaction times during the PVT,” the authors concluded.
The U.S. is ill-equipped to respond to Long COVID and future mass disabling events, a new analysis argues in The Journal of Medical Humanities. Author Philip Finkelstein evaluated the disease through the lens of securitization, or, how public challenges are viewed as existential security threats. He found that modern security strategies remain “shortsighted and poorly attuned to threats that operate insidiously, eroding societies from within.” He stated that to properly address the security of Long COVID on society, the U.S. would need to invest in long-term care, workplace accommodations, and social support, but that these solutions are not “geopolitically advantageous.” 
A recent preprint shared in Research Square assessed over 700 Long COVID clinical trials and found that they emphasized treating symptoms. Only 57 of the 714 trials addressed post-exertional malaise (PEM), prevalent in a subtype of Long COVID, and only eight of those trials used PEM as primary endpoint. “There is a substantial unmet need for well-powered, mechanism-based, disease-modifying trials with biomarker-driven designs and objective, exertion-based endpoints,” the researchers concluded. Still, researchers stated they used a conservative research strategy, which may have missed some studies.
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Carried out a study with 144 #LongCOVID participants and 90 controls. Since LC is not always known/diagnosed well, the 90 controls had to go through a questionnaire to determine if they did not have LC. (20 (?) shifted into LC group!)
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Elana Levin @levin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It’s not random or a sign of weakness or “wrecking” or “virtue signaling” that a trans and queer community talks about covid more than less impacted people. Also people with HIV are especially at risk. @longcovidjustice.org has great programming and info on all of this.
them.us
Long COVID Is More Common in Bisexual and Trans People. The Reasons Why Are Complicated
Activists are calling for more research and government support to address troubling health disparities.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here's today's column on the astonishing, ongoing mistreatment of people with #ME/CFS. Please spread it far and wide: the only thing which can break the media's wall of indifference is seeing an article about the issue go viral. Thank you. 1/2 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed | George Monbiot
Changes in guidance and science seem to have little impact on millions of devastated lives. It’s a social crisis playing out behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hey so uhhhhh that Boston Globe story about the lesbian bar relaxing its covid rules is an *absolute fucking hit piece* targeting the disabled, chronically ill, and covid-conscious and it would be great if folks sharing and joking about it could recognize that framing.
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 23/09/2026
The Telegraph recently published an article about "sickfluencers" titled “How having a disability became cool." We've republished a piece by Julia Doubleday at The Gauntlet pushing back against the article, which she calls "absurd on its face." thesicktimes.org/2026/09/21/c...
A young woman stands by a staircase with a backdrop of tree canopy.  She wears a white, high quality mask and has long dark hair. She wears a teal sweatshirt and black pants. The text reads, “The Gauntlet x The Sick Times. COVID-19 — not TikTok — is disabling young women “Sickfluencers” are symptoms of a mass disabling event. By Julia Doubleday.” “The country is sicker than it’s ever been before” — now why would that be? Six years after COVID-19 hit, four years after the virus has been allowed to run totally rampant without mitigation, the country is sicker than it’s ever been before, but we can’t come up with any reason why that would be other than “women be faking?”
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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Someone asked me my thoughts on Boston Globe lesbian bar drama: My thoughts are that if you only temporarily struggled with isolation in 2020/2021, we should have more empathy for COVID-cautious people who have limited IRL community due to health concerns.
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
NEW ⭐: The Sick Times is listed as a finalist in NASW's Journalism Awards for our story on axed RECOVER grants for #LongCOVID. We're so proud of our small publication; Congrats to all the finalists and winners from ProPublica, NYT, the Guardian, Science, and others! www.nasw.org/2026Sciencei...
nasw.org
Announcing the 2026 NASW Science in Society Journalism Award winners
The National Association of Science Writers and its Awards Committee are pleased to announce the winners of the <strong>2026 NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards.</strong> This year, NASW is awar...
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Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 23/09/2026
NEW: The HHS is holding back Covid vaccines for all children in at least 11 states and one territory. And it's not clear when - or whether - the shots will be available. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Delays in Covid shots for kids is latest bid by Trump officials to restrict vaccines
Administration is holding back Covid vaccines for all children in at least 11 states and one US territory
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 22/09/2026
COVID-19 spread seems to have peaked for the summer in the South, but may still be increasing in the West and is starting to go up more in Northern states. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/n...
Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for September 22, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with red) and slightly increasing (represented with a diagonal 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 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."

While national averages for COVID-19 metrics appear to be at a peak or plateau as of mid-September, the picture actually looks pretty different from region to region. COVID-19 spread seems to have peaked for the summer in the South, but may still be increasing in the West and is starting to go up more in Northern states.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Today @thesicktimes.org: People with Long COVID are demanding a pause and review for a planned clinical trial that would test the Lightning Process, a pseudoscientific mind-body treatment. By @spichaksimon.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/p...
thesicktimes.org
People with Long COVID demand pause of McMaster University clinical trial - The Sick Times
The trial, run by researchers at McMaster University in Canada, is testing the Lightning Process, a pseudoscientific mind-body program that outside experts have heavily criticized.
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Over 1,700 people have signed a petition calling on McMaster University to review a Long COVID clinical trial evaluating a pseudoscientific "mind body" program. "It seems like we're in the dark ages," the petition author told @spichaksimon.bsky.social thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/p...
thesicktimes.org
People with Long COVID demand pause of McMaster University clinical trial - The Sick Times
The trial, run by researchers at McMaster University in Canada, is testing the Lightning Process, a pseudoscientific mind-body program that outside experts have heavily criticized.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Today @thesicktimes.org: We republished a recent piece by Julia Doubleday at The Gauntlet, pushing back on a much-derided ableist article in The Telegraph. "The state and its media allies are working desperately to sever the connection between COVID-19 and its consequences."
thesicktimes.org
COVID-19 — not TikTok — is disabling young women - The Sick Times
The Telegraph published an article titled, “How having a disability became cool." This article shores up the government narrative that rising rates of disability are being driven, not by the ongoing a...
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"Now that it’s time to pay the piper, the state and its media allies are working desperately to sever the connection between COVID-19 and its consequences." Julia Doubleday takes down an ableist Telegraph column that denies the reality of Long COVID. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/21/c...
thesicktimes.org
COVID-19 — not TikTok — is disabling young women - The Sick Times
The Telegraph published an article titled, “How having a disability became cool." This article shores up the government narrative that rising rates of disability are being driven, not by the ongoing a...
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We’re always looking for ways to improve our work at The Sick Times. Please help us by filling out this short survey to help us learn more about our readers and how we can make our publication even better 🙏🏼
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Nathan K. Hensley @nathankhensley.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
never forget that our universities fired and expelled people for opposing this
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Marushka-T @marushka-t.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
When climate collapse and a pandemic response are managed by capitalism, not science. #COVID #capitalism #pandemic #publichealth #climatecollapse
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 18/09/2026
🦠 Study: Repeat SARS-C0V-2 infections were linked to a higher odds of new health conditions 📝 Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and post-treatment Lyme disease are included as priorities in the new NIAID 2026-2030 Strategic Plan thesicktimes.org/2026/09/15/r...
A colorful red, orange, and purple microscopic image shows coronavirus particles in vibrant detail. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Long COVID research updates. Study: Repeat SARS-C0V-2 infections were linked to a higher odds of new health conditions. Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and post-treatment Lyme disease are included as priorities in the new NIAID 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.” Repeat SARS-C0V-2 infections were linked to a higher odds of new health conditions, according to a new study in the Canada Communicable Disease Report. Researchers assessed data from 9,000 people who responded to a self-reported survey between 2020 and 2023, and found that those with more than two SARS-CoV-2 infections had a 76% higher risk of a new diagnosis compared to those who had not reported any infections. The survey covered a broad range of diagnoses, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal conditions. The authors cautioned that the results could not prove that SARS-CoV-2 infection caused the new conditions due to limitations of the study.
Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and post-treatment Lyme disease are included as priorities in the new NIAID 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases claims it will center on finding both risk factors and underlying mechanisms.“NIAID remains committed to supporting research to develop person-centered prevention and treatment strategies that improve the quality of life of those impacted by long-term conditions following clearance of an infection,” the plan states. Still, it’s unclear how NIAID plans to fund additional research for these diseases.
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm suspicious of The Floridian as an unreliable right-wing news site, so I reached out to AOC's press team to confirm the details in this short article. If the report is true, I also asked about isolation plans, what care the congressperson is receiving for COVID-19, and more.
A screenshot of a headline from The Floridian shows a picture of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a headline, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tests positive for COVID-19 before Congress leaves Capitol Hill".
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Here's the article I wrote for #MEAction regarding the reorganization of NIAID. Comments to NIAID are open until Sept 18; #MEAction has submitted a very short version to the form and emailed a more thorough letter, which you can access from the article as well. www.meaction.net/post/nationa...
meaction.net
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Proposes Reorganization Plan
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has released a proposal to eliminate its Division of Clinical Research (DCR) and move the division’s programs and responsibilities in...
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The Vertlartnic @thev.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Of Course The Virus That Has Killed Millions Doesn’t Disable People
A laughing human
Headline:
Of Course The Virus That Has Killed Millions Doesn’t Disable People
Story by Kelvin Dorbel and Grad Forthright

Photo from Adobe
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: Yet another group of researchers is suing the NIH and HHS over a massive purge of federal research grants. The class-action suit alleges the Trump admin is violating scientists' first amendment rights by using keyword searches to censor science that doesn't align with its political views.
aclu.org
Researchers Challenge NIH Screening of Grants for Disfavored Viewpoints | American Civil Liberties Union
Class action lawsuit seeks to stop censorship and termination of federally funded scientific research
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"Mainstream outlets have published misinformation on Long COVID, calling it [psychosomatic] despite the plethora of research that proves it’s a biological disease. This parallels climate nonexperts questioning climate change’s seriousness and calling it a “hoax.”" thesicktimes.org/2026/09/15/d...
thesicktimes.org
Denial is a tactic for both the COVID-19 and climate crises - The Sick Times
Corporate interests have had more say in our behaviors toward both COVID-19 and the climate crisis than any evidence-based public health response.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NEW: Novel drug bezisterim might help with fatigue, PEM, and neurological symptoms in Long COVID, according to preliminary results BioVie shared today. These are early findings that will need more review, but it's exciting to see a positive trial result for once! More @thesicktimes.org:
thesicktimes.org
Bezisterim may help with some Long COVID symptoms, drug’s developer reports in early trial results - The Sick Times
While the phase 2 clinical trial results, shared by BioVie in a webinar on Tuesday, have yet to be peer-reviewed, investigators say they can inform a confirmatory phase 3 trial.
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 15/09/2026
Novel drug bezisterim may help improve fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and neurological symptoms in people with Long COVID, according to preliminary clinical trial results that the treatment’s developer, BioVie, shared this morning. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/15/b...
ID: A hand placing a pill in a weekly organizer. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Bezisterim may help with some Long COVID symptoms, drug’s developer reports in early trial results. By Betsy Ladyzhets. News.” The following slides feature quotes from the story at The Sick Times. 

“What really stands out to me about the data that have been presented today is that it shows a very clear direction” toward improving key symptoms, said Ezra Spier, a Long COVID patient-researcher who advised the trial team, during the webinar. “It gives the community some hope, because we’ve been seeing trial fail after fail after fail. Seeing something that provides demonstrated impact, I think is really exciting.”
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Miranda 🌸 @crookedneighbor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oh also everyone please go read this impossibly beautiful essay by @mileswgriffis.bsky.social, which captures the massive losses of the last 6+ years against the visceral backdrop of climate grief. Truly one of the best pieces of writing that I've read in years, and I hope it will be widely shared.
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Lisa Diedrich @lisadiedrich.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Remembering David Wojnarowicz on what would have been his 72 birthday. Sharing a piece I wrote on the occasion of the Whitney Museum's Wojnarowicz exhibition "History Keeps Me Awake at Night." His art & politics remain so relevant to the present moment. www.lisadiedrich.org/thoughts/on-...
lisadiedrich.org
On David Wojnarowicz, politics, and gestures — Lisa Diedrich
This is the final weekend for the exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art of the work of David Wojnarowicz,&nbsp;“History Keeps Me Awake at Night.” I can’t recommend the show enough, especi...
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Adam @abrokenbattery.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Today marks 25 years since 9/11. 8 months after the attack, psychiatrist Simon Wessely argued that illness reported around Ground Zero was being wrongly attributed to environmental toxins, suggesting “World Trade Centre Syndrome” was driven by social and psychological factors.
Screenshot from the article
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Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Since 9/11, 6,000+ people have died from illnesses linked to the toxic dust and air pollution and ~145,000 are enrolled in the WTC Health Program We tend to forget about the long tail of illness that follows from acute events. Thinking of everyone affected today 💗 🔗 www.usnews.com/news/nationa...
U.S. News headline from today - "25 years later, ground zero toxic legacy is still
Claiming lives"

Federal
Data shows deaths from illnesses linked to 9/11 have far surpassed the original attack death toll
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 08/09/2026
Happening Now: Protest outside of Mt. Sinai Hospital after the hospital agreed to a settlement with the DOJ ending care for trans youth
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Adam @abrokenbattery.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
TW: German TV report from August about the Gaberdil family, whose daughter, severely ill with #MECFS, was admitted to a psychiatric ward against her parents’ wishes after her illness was wrongly treated as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. They have not seen her since December.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 08/09/2026
For years, New Yorkers have demanded access to City records about the lasting health impacts of the horrific September 11th attacks. For years, they have been denied and ignored. That ends today. nyc.gov/sept11docs
nyc.gov
September 11 Docs
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Robin Hoshiko @robinoliver.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This is one of my favorite places in the world and I love to see the care and effort put into memorializing something most wish to move on from while doing material good here and now
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 08/09/2026
As @mileswgriffis.bsky.social and his husband participated in the effort to rehabilitate the burn scar from the 2020 Dome Fire, the ritual of planting the Joshua trees took on an even greater meaning when he realized the uncanny overlaps with the COVID-19 pandemic. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/08/w...
Black text over an image of the Dome Fire burn scar reads, “After a lightning bolt hit the forest in August 2020, igniting the fire, Cima Dome became forever bound to the COVID-19 pandemic for me. It was the year I lost both my health and my refuge. Things only got worse in 2023, when a second fire broke outignited in the preserve, burning nearly 100,000 acres and killing another 1 million Joshua trees. Where do you mourn when your sanctuary suddenly becomes a place to grieve? Miles W. Griffis, The Sick Times.” Black text over an image of the Dome Fire burn scar reads, “Because I lost my abilities to the pandemic, this wild gardening has given me some control to confront two crises at once. I plant Joshua trees and leave out water for our nonhuman neighbors to offer mutual aid for the environment. I name each tree to oppose our society’s denial of the pandemic’s “incalculable” mass death and its continuing effects. I imagine each Joshua tree as a spiked fist rising from the ashes of indifference. Miles W. Griffis, The Sick Times.” 
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Heather Hogan @heatherhogan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I've read this at least five times now and cried every single time. @mileswgriffis.bsky.social has the most beautiful heart.
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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I wrote about an (informal) memorial I made in a burn scar that killed 1.3 million Joshua trees, nearly the same “official” U.S. death toll of the pandemic. Now, I plant the yuccas in remembrance of those who died of Long COVID and ME 🪾🪏 thesicktimes.org/2026/09/08/w...
thesicktimes.org
We made a COVID-19 memorial in the ashes of a Joshua tree forest - The Sick Times
Despite nearly 1.3 million deaths and counting, there is still not a national memorial for the pandemic. Our informal memorial in the middle of the Mojave Desert is one small way to remember those we’...
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Lisa Diedrich @lisadiedrich.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"The El Niño is likely to be the largest in at least 1,000 years & will pile extra heat into an atmosphere where temps are already rising rapidly due to global heating. The combo means 2027 is set to 'blow apart' the record & be the hottest year ever recorded." www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Supersizing before our eyes’: UN warns of record El Niño approaching
Event is likely to be largest in at least 1,000 years and will pile extra heat into a world already in a climate crisis
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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
Tom Kindlon @tomkindlon.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A German petition states people with ME/CFS should not be obliged to undergo rehabilitation against their will.Refusal or non-participation in rehabilitation must not lead to disadvantages under social law. It has been signed more than 3000 times & has a 30000-signature target #MEcfs #PwME #CFS 1/
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The entire article is just vaguely sourced anecdotes from social media. "Doctors have been cast as bigots" OK by whom, how so, why does this matter? The only "expert" cited is another columnist for the same fucking newspaper.
When sickness becomes integral to a person’s self-image, we shouldn’t be surprised that they fiercely defend that identity. Doctors, instead of providing much-needed support for a patient, have been cast as old-fashioned bigots standing in the way of an individual’s “self-actualisation”.

Dr Katie Musgrave, a general practitioner, has seen this phenomenon first-hand. She describes a “hyper-awareness of physical symptoms like fatigue and a racing heart” from patients who visit her seeking an explanation for their pain, with an expectation that there will be a single, incontrovertible diagnosis. Often though, she says, it is more likely that factors such as “a lack of sleep and exercise and a poor diet” are causing the patient’s symptoms, and these can be resolved with minimal medical intervention.

Katie Musgrave
Dr Katie Musgrave is a South Devon-based NHS General Practitioner and a regular contributor to The Telegraph. She also provides a column for Pulse, the leading publication for UK GPs, and writes widely on primary care, NHS reform, and the frontline realities of modern medicine.
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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
When I was 18, I developed vasculitis. I was hospitalized for a week, and then was told by a doctor I had anxiety. A year + later I had a life threatening flare (when diagnosed), and as a result I'm on the day-to-day more sick as a result of my chronic illness being disregarded a decade later.
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Reposted by Miles W. Griffis
Long Covid SOS @longcovidsos.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Another day, another dismissive article. If journalists are reusing the same old tired arguments to marginalise women with disabilities and pour doubt and scorn on them, we are going to reuse the same letters.
A Long Covid SOS letter graphic on a pale grey background with Long Covid SOS liferings in background. A white page with shadow reads “Dear Sirs, The author of your recent opinion piece on “Disability becoming cool” seeks, ironically perhaps, attention and cachet with such a deliberately divisive article. A piece such as this, which ignores the impact of a recent mass disabling event causing widespread chronic illness and disproportionately so in women, cannot be taken seriously. The impact of repeated Covid infections and Long Covid on a national health and economic scale is measurable and has indeed been measured. The literature on the impact of Covid and Long Covid on health and wellbeing is extensive and not in question.”
The Long Covid SOS logo appears at the top right.

A Long Covid SOS letter graphic on a pale grey background with Long Covid SOS liferings in background. A white page with shadow reads “These are disabling biomedical diseases with comorbidities including proven links to the symptoms she inexplicably describes as everyday and normal. The cherry-picked anecdotes and quotes are indefensible when considered against actual scientific evidence. We prefer not to give oxygen to the unevidenced musings of individuals who seek to divide. But unlike the author, we can't and won't ignore the elephant in the room. Yours, Long Covid SOS, registered charity 1199120”Alt text: A Long Covid SOS letter graphic on a pale grey background with Long Covid SOS liferings in background. A white page with shadow reads “Dear Sirs, The author of your recent opinion piece on “Disability becoming cool” seeks, ironically perhaps, attention and cachet with such a deliberately divisive article. A piece such as this, which ignores the impact of a recent mass disabling event causing widespread chronic illness and disproportionately so in women, cannot be taken seriously. The impact of repeated Covid infections and Long Covid on a national health and economic scale is measurable and has indeed been measured. The literature on the impact of Covid and Long Covid on health and wellbeing is extensive and not in question.”
The Long Covid SOS logo appears at the top right.

A Long Covid SOS letter graphic on a pale grey background with Long Covid SOS liferings in background. A white page with shadow reads “These are disabling biomedical diseases with comorbidities including proven links to the symptoms she inexplicably describes as everyday and normal. The cherry-picked anecdotes and quotes are indefensible when considered against actual scientific evidence. We prefer not to give oxygen to the unevidenced musings of individuals who seek to divide. But unlike the author, we can't and won't ignore the elephant in the room. Yours, Long Covid SOS, registered charity 1199120”
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