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betsy ladyzhets 😷

@betsyladyzhets.bsky.social
9.8K followers 521 following 1K posts

editor/co-founder @thesicktimes.org | journalist covering Long COVID & related crises | she/her/🏳️‍🌈 email: betsy@thesicktimes.org | signal: betsyladyzhets.25 | thesicktimes.org

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Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷
Chloé de Canson @chloedecanson.bsky.social · 20h
Why do people with ME claim to know more about the medical aspects of their disease than their doctors? Because the mechanisms that usually ensure doctors' knowledge fail in the case of ME, and sick people have created mechanisms of knowledge production and dissemination to pick up the slack.
Screenshot of the header of a published paper: 

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science

Patient's knowledge, doctor's ignorance: The production of knowledge about myalgic encephalomyelitis

Chloé de Canson

Department of of Theoretical Philosophy, University of Groningen, Oude Boteringestraat 52, Groningen, 9712 GL, the Netherlands
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Elizabeth Anne, PhD @lacksauthority.bsky.social · 17h
never the wrong time for this classic
Screenshot of a tweet by @RobbtKraft reading “scientist: "does everyone here know what Watson and Crick discovered?" 
me from back of room: "Rosalind Franklin's notes"”
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 16h
Today @thesicktimes.org: @heatherhogan.bsky.social reviews a new comic book developed by children with Long COVID. "These superheroes showcase bravery by asking for help, resting, and being compassionate with themselves and others."
thesicktimes.org
Kids with Long COVID co-created their own superhero comic book - The Sick Times
Long Covid Superheroes showcases the bravery of asking for help, resting, and being compassionate with yourself and others.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Do you want to be a science writer? Or just learn more about science writing? This is a fantastic *paid* opportunity to sharpen your skills. @theopennotebook.bsky.social @siricarpenter.bsky.social 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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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Have you done The Sick Times' reader survey yet? We plan to use the results to inform future stories, updates to our website, and more! www.surveymonkey.com/r/SS6ZH8S
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
RFK Jr. alleges that he wants to focus on chronic disease and sideline infectious disease research, but the big dummy doesn’t care about the interplay between the two. A new study estimates that 12% of all cancer cases in 2024 were caused by infections, including H. pylori, HPV, HBV, and EBV.
thelancet.com
Global burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2024: a worldwide incidence analysis
Our findings highlight the importance of infection control to achieve cancer prevention. Scientifically proven, but often underused, approaches include HPV and HBV vaccination; testing and treatment o...
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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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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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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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#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It is #MedicaidMonday and we are back with #FrailAndFurious campaign* updates. We have been busy and we want to make sure we share the wins along the way! Full details: www.meaction.net/post/making-... In the past weeks, MEAction advocates have been making real progress across the country.
Infographic showing ME/CFS and Long COVID medical frailty exemption progress in PA, NC, CA, WI, CO, Alaska, Nevada. White background with frail & Furious campaign and MEAction logos at top. Each update is listed in a text box. Outlines of states to the side.
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David Forbes @davidforbes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If it seemed like a major newspaper making some conflict at a random dyke bar a national news piece in a push to depict trans and higher-risk folks as inherently unreasonable was suspect af...well, it was. Y'all who were breathlessly sharing that story? You were just being played. Have some sense.
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Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This is every bit as fragile, judgmental, and hostile as anything anyone said in the Globe piece!
Screenshot of text: 

Patrons were required to wear KN95 or better masks, the face coverings ubiquitous during the heights of Covid-19, and which most of the country had left long ago to dental hygienists and [Highlighting begins] people who don’t want anyone to sit next to them on the train. [Highlighting ends]
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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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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
on the other hand, the Mountain Goats, at it since 1991, still dropping bangers once a year on average and torching stages around the globe with ever-increasing intensity
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Solid Evidence @solidevidence.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Every week I get a metagenomic readout of the most elevated viruses from wastewater collected the week before (44 sites). COVID was on the list today for the first time since last winter, along with D68 and a bunch of rhinoviruses.
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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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Maggie Harrison Dupré @mharrisondupre.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
NEW: Brown Brothers Media is the most successful media company you've never heard of. For years, its success was fueled by AI, fake writers, and fake reporting. When we started asking questions, BBM started mass-deleting content. Somehow, what came next was even worse. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
How Three Brothers Built an AI Slop Empire by Buying Legitimate News Sites and Turning Them Into Zombie Content Farms That They Say Get 50 Million Page Views per Month
Brown Brothers Media is a media empire raking in millions of clicks with AI, fake writers, and plagiarism.
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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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Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 14/09/2026
NEW: The 40-year-old woman who died of probable measles in PA was not vaccinated and had COPD & 24/7 oxygen. She did not appear to die in a hospital. The coroner is "100%" certain she died because of measles. Yet the CDC changed the way it counts measles deaths www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump administration changes how it counts measles deaths amid Pennsylvania outbreak
CDC announces changes to how it reports measles deaths as Pennsylvania continues to confirm more cases
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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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Ezra S @ezra.zone · 15/09/2026
Big news in the Long COVID world: "In pre-specified subgroup analyses...patients with greater baseline burden on one or more symptoms (approximately 78% of trial participants) demonstrated statistically significant improvements on multiple clinically coherent endpoints."
investors.bioviepharma.com
BioVie Announces Topline Results from Phase 2 ADDRESS‑LC Trial Evaluating Bezisterim for the Treatment of Neurological Symptoms Associated with Long COVID
Statistically significant benefits observed in bezisterim-treated Long COVID patients in pre-specified subgroups with high baseline fatigue, cognitive impairment, and/or post‑exertional malaise Bezist...
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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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The Xylom @thexylom.com · 03/09/2026
BREAKING: The Xylom's @alexip718.com, in collaboration with @floodlightnews.org @drilledmedia.bsky.social @deceleration.news has won an Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Science Reporting (Small/Medium Newsroom) with the series, ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’: How Big Oil Ruined a Small Texas Town
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 02/09/2026
On Friday, The Sick Times broke the news that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is funding a new clinical trials program for Long COVID with an initial grant of $8 million. This week we have more reporting from Betsy Ladyzhets about PROBE-PASC. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/01/d...
ID: A view of the U.S. Pentagon building at night reflecting in the Potomac River. Five bright lights emit from the building like stars. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Department of Defense funds $8 million grant for Long COVID trials. The first study in a new mechanistic clinical trials program will test Pemgarda and hydroxychloroquine alone and in combination. By Betsy Ladyzhets. Reporting.”
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I'm pleased to announce the NextGen IACC Scholars Program, a new opportunity for four early-career Canadian researchers to develop and lead studies using data from Symptom Cluster Characterization in Complex Chronic Disease (SC4D), an #MEAction project.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We got an email today (as well as a few social media comments last week) asking, what is the source for this? Why isn't it in any other news outlets? Folks... The Sick Times is the source! We broke the story!
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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Good thing to ask yourself is why the military seems to consider long covid a big problem, and yet people are encouraged to accept endless infections with the thing that causes it (and makes it more likely that you’ll get it, every time.)
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Today @thesicktimes.org: Lots of details from me on the Department of Defense grant funding a new Long COVID clinical trials program. The story includes context on past DOD medical research funding, comments & slides from Michael Peluso (PI of the new program), and more:
thesicktimes.org
Department of Defense funds $8 million grant for Long COVID trials - The Sick Times
A new U.S. clinical trials program called PROBE-PASC was announced on Friday at a Long COVID conference in Amsterdam. The program received initial funding of $8 million from a Department of Defense (D...
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Mike Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA @michael-hoerger.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The CDC recently downshifted current and historical COVlD levels into lower categories. For example, 6 of the 8 states normally classified as High or Very High have been downshifted to "Moderate." This is Part 2 in our series on the CDC "Bluewashing" ethics crisis.
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Jon Douglas @atranscendedman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 959 participants. In RECOVER-VITAL, 15 or 25 days of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir did not improve cognitive, autonomic or exercise Long COVID. Viral persistence was not tested at entry. Biomarker analyses are still pending. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir targeting viral persistence in post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in the USA (RECOVER-VITAL): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir for 15 days or 25 days showed no evidence of benefit in long COVID in any of the three phenotypes studied. These findings suggest additional approaches to measuring the symptom ...
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Erica Schwartz, the new CDC director, ordered agency officials to challenge two measles deaths reported by PA, shunning the agency’s normal procedure of accepting state data and amplifying comments made by her boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/h...
nytimes.com
C.D.C. Director Challenges Pennsylvania’s Report of Two Measles Deaths (Gift Article)
Questioning a state’s investigation is highly unusual for the public health agency, but reflects tensions between the Trump administration and many states over health issues.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
We are working on a news story that will expand on the info in this thread! Please DM or email me if you have comments or questions you'd like to see us try to answer.
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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Article here. This will be updated as I learn more, especially about any access difficulties. If a question is unanswered in this article, I don't know the answer yet, but I'm working hard to get more info as quickly as possible.
nytimes.com
What to Know About New Covid Vaccines for Fall 2026 (Gift Article)
The shots have been approved for people 65 and older, and for younger people with underlying conditions. Others may be able to get them off label.
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Heather Hogan @heatherhogan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Want to support good people doing good work? It's as easy as signing up for @thesicktimes.org newsletter! And yes, you are correct, these doodles of our team are NOT AI. I drew them with my own silly hands. pages.viral-loops.com/share-the-si...
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#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Calling all constituents in West Virginia and Maine - WE NEED YOUR HELP! The Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to discuss including $50 million in appropriations for the ME/CFS Research Roadmap in upcoming weeks! Toolkit: ow.ly/J6TT50ZFRjx #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis
Call West Virginia and Maine senators to support ME/CFS Research Roadmap funding with a provided toolkit for advocacy. Graphic with an outline of the state of Maine and the state or West Virginia are on either side of a road going through the image. Text above: ME/CFS Research Roadmap Action Request! f you live in West Virginia or Maine, CALL YOUR SENATOR and tell them to support appropriations for ME/CFS Research Roadmap. Toolkit provided!
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Help us grow our newsletter! pages.viral-loops.com/share-the-si...
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 25/08/2026
To help us grow our newsletter, we’re trying out a referral program. We think this will make it easier for readers like you to share the newsletter with other community members. But we need your help to test it out!
Original artwork by Heather Hogan sharing the reward options for The Sick Times' newsletter referral campaign. Cartoon-style drawings in small boxes with white borders making them look like stamps show a thank-you note, the reward for one referral; a sticker on a water bottle, as stickers are the reward for five referrals; and a dad hat, the reward for 10 referrals. Below the stamps, there are drawings of The Sick Times' team -- Miles Griffis, Heather, and Betsy Ladyzhets, with Betsy's dog Jacko in between her and Heather. Text above those drawings note that the reward for 20 referrals is a Q&A with the team.
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C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
To help! Check this list of Senate subcommittee members—constituents in these states can especially make a difference. To make your engagement go even farther, consider reaching out specifically to the health staffer for your Senator. If you need help finding that person, lmk! #MECFS #LongCovid
appropriations.senate.gov
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
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Britta Shoot @brittashoot.com · 19/08/2026
Reporter source request: seeking professionals (esp <30) w/ career trajectory shaped by college radio. You don't need to work in audio/media, just gained experience, found your voice etc thru FM radio. Extra interested if yr campus broadcast license was sold/station online only now! RTs appreciated
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#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
#MEAction will be providing a script for constituents living in Maine or West Virginia to encourage their Senators to support funding the ME/CFS Research Roadmap. Stay tuned!
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#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The Senate is expected to discuss funding for #MECFS and #longcovid research in its appropriations discussions in the upcoming weeks. The Sick Times reported on the work that #MEAction, #LCCampaign and #NotJustFatigue are doing to make this happen. thesicktimes.org/2026/08/18/c...
thesicktimes.org
Congress’s 2027 budget could include new funding for Long COVID and ME - The Sick Times
Advocates are calling on senators and representatives to include the ME/CFS Research Roadmap and new Long COVID funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget as legislators debate appropriations bills in the...
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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 19/08/2026
Advocates are calling on senators and representatives to include the ME/CFS Research Roadmap and new Long COVID funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget as legislators debate appropriations bills in the coming weeks. Read more from @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/08/18/c...
ID: MEAction advocates demonstrate outside of the Capital building in Washington D.C. on a sunny, spring day. They wear red t-shirts that read "millions missing" and "SOS" as well as high quality masks. One is in a wheel chair, while another sits on a stool. They hold signs that say, "Millions Missing, SOS, 2025, MEAction" that have an illustration of the statue of liberty. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Congress’s 2027 budget could include new funding for Long COVID and ME. By Betsy Ladyzhets. Reporting.” Key points you should know:

Congress is legally required to pass a federal budget every year. The budget process, called appropriations, can be an opportunity to secure new research funding more quickly than specific, standalone bills.
 
Advocates are pushing for the fiscal year 2027 budget to include $50 million for the ME/CFS Research Roadmap, a detailed plan to advance ME research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
Some 2027 budget proposals include opportunities for new Long COVID and infection-associated chronic condition (IACC) funding across the NIH, other health agencies, and the Department of Defense.
 
Advocates are focusing on contacting senators, as Senate offices are still drafting appropriations bills in the next few weeks while the House versions of these bills are already written.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
For my story on the FY2027 budget, I reached out to ARPA-H to ask about a line in their budget justification document that I thought might refer to an ask for IACC-related funding. They responded saying actually, IACCs are already included in a couple of active programs:
Email screenshot, text reads: "Thank you for your interest in ARPA-H and for the careful read of the FY 2027 Congressional Budget Justification.
ARPA-H's CBJ narrative describes agency-level focus areas rather than disease-specific funding requests. Congress appropriates top-line funding to ARPA-H, and program funding is set internally through our program-approval processes and operating plans. The note you identified on page 14 of the CBJ describing the objective to "prevent viral illnesses that lead to chronic disease" reflects an intended focus area under Addressing Chronic Disease rather than a distinct "IACC request" moving through the appropriations process. 

Currently, ARPA-H does not have a program specifically focused on Long COVID. However, several active programs advance the science of infection-associated chronic conditions (IACCs), including and beyond Long COVID. The LIGHT program (up to $135.7M over 5 year announced in January 2026) explicitly targets lymphatic contributions to Long COVID and Lyme disease. A related program, GLIDE, pursues lymphatic-targeted interventions, which could impact outcomes for Long COVID and other IACCs. ARPA-H’s APECx program aims to eliminate viruses as current and future health threats — upstream prevention of IACC triggers — and CIRCLE uses AI and computational modeling to better modulate immune responses during critical illness with an aim to prevent post-infectious immune dysregulation and other negative outcomes.
This portfolio is the operational follow-through on the commitments Jason Roos, Ph.D., then-Acting Director of ARPA-H, discussed at HHS Secretary Kennedy's "Invisible Illness: Leading the Way on Long COVID" roundtable in September 2025. Together, they bring ARPA-H's transformative technology model to bear on the underlying biology of IACCs, rather than standing up a single disease-named program..."
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Advocates are pushing for new Long COVID and ME research funding in the federal fiscal year 2027 budget. For @thesicktimes.org, I described the process, what people are asking for, and how readers can help advocate: thesicktimes.org/2026/08/18/c...
thesicktimes.org
Congress’s 2027 budget could include new funding for Long COVID and ME - The Sick Times
Advocates are calling on senators and representatives to include the ME/CFS Research Roadmap and new Long COVID funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget as legislators debate appropriations bills in the...
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I'm working on a @thesicktimes.org explainer about the fiscal year 2027 federal budget process, focusing on funding opportunities for Long COVID, other IACCs, and COVID-19. Any recommendations for sources I should talk to? Questions I should try to answer?
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Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
NEW: The NIH is quietly restricting funding for research that evaluates how public policy impacts human health. According to internal documents I obtained, the agency no longer considers policymakers "mission relevant" — a massive shift for the biomedical funder. My latest for @nature.com:
nature.com
NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy
US biomedical agency no longer considers policymakers as ‘mission relevant’, leaving dozens of grants in limbo.
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Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷
The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 11/08/2026
A summer COVID-19 wave is still rising in the U.S., according to data through late July. Increases in disease spread are most pronounced in the South and West, but all regions have growing outbreaks. thesicktimes.org/2026/08/11/n...
Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for August 11, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with orange) and significantly increasing (represented with a directly up arrow); CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-Cov-2, which is "very low*" (lighter yellow) and significantly increasing; and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and significantly 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."
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