Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Chloé de Canson @chloedecanson.bsky.social · 20hWhy 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. 611147
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Elizabeth Anne, PhD @lacksauthority.bsky.social · 17hnever the wrong time for this classic 45104533121
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 16hToday @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.orgKids with Long COVID co-created their own superhero comic book - The Sick TimesLong Covid Superheroes showcases the bravery of asking for help, resting, and being compassionate with yourself and others. 04219
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Do 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.comEarly-Career Fellowship Program - The Open NotebookEvery 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. 03234
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Have 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 0139
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026RFK 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.comGlobal burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2024: a worldwide incidence analysisOur 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... 18321111
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 29/09/2026The 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... 12516
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Really 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.orgI interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick TimesWhile 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... 16926
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷october "pre-order The Struggle Is Always Worth It now!" krausch @octoberk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026this 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.orgI interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick TimesWhile 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... 415685
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷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.orgI interviewed five people with Long COVID in prison. They are invisible in the system. - The Sick TimesWhile 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... 16836
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026It 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. 12616
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷David Forbes @davidforbes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026If 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. 8442151
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 27/09/2026This is every bit as fragile, judgmental, and hostile as anything anyone said in the Globe piece! 1543954
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 22/09/2026COVID-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... 15122
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Today @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.orgPeople with Long COVID demand pause of McMaster University clinical trial - The Sick TimesThe 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. 38137
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 22/09/2026on 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 2593867
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Solid Evidence @solidevidence.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Every 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. 112534
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Today @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.orgCOVID-19 — not TikTok — is disabling young women - The Sick TimesThe 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... 012764
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Maggie Harrison Dupré @mharrisondupre.bsky.social · 17/09/2026NEW: 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.comHow 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 MonthBrown Brothers Media is a media empire raking in millions of clicks with AI, fake writers, and plagiarism. 18887478
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 15/09/2026Novel 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... 312456
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Miranda 🌸 @crookedneighbor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Oh 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. 13112
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 14/09/2026NEW: 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.comTrump administration changes how it counts measles deaths amid Pennsylvania outbreakCDC announces changes to how it reports measles deaths as Pennsylvania continues to confirm more cases 213562
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 15/09/2026NEW: 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.orgBezisterim may help with some Long COVID symptoms, drug’s developer reports in early trial results - The Sick TimesWhile 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. 39847
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Ezra S @ezra.zone · 15/09/2026Big 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.comBioVie Announces Topline Results from Phase 2 ADDRESS‑LC Trial Evaluating Bezisterim for the Treatment of Neurological Symptoms Associated with Long COVIDStatistically 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... 34015
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026I 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.orgWe made a COVID-19 memorial in the ashes of a Joshua tree forest - The Sick TimesDespite 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’... 57930
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Xylom @thexylom.com · 03/09/2026BREAKING: 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 617457
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 02/09/2026On 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... 22413
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 01/09/2026I'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. 12811
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/09/2026We 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! 28121
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Good 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.) 7386160
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Today @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.orgDepartment of Defense funds $8 million grant for Long COVID trials - The Sick TimesA 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... 27729
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Mike Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA @michael-hoerger.bsky.social · 01/09/2026The 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. 114996
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Jon Douglas @atranscendedman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Brigham 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.comNirmatrelvir–ritonavir targeting viral persistence in post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in the USA (RECOVER-VITAL): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trialNirmatrelvir–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 ... 2144
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Erica 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.comC.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. 62485270
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 31/08/2026We 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. 01310
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Article 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.comWhat 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. 22721325
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Heather Hogan @heatherhogan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Want 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... 24415
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Calling 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 11617
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Help us grow our newsletter! pages.viral-loops.com/share-the-si... 0189
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 25/08/2026To 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! 23425
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 20/08/2026To 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 #LongCovidappropriations.senate.govLabor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies | United States Senate Committee on AppropriationsUnited States Senate Committee on Appropriations 1148
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Britta Shoot @brittashoot.com · 19/08/2026Reporter 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 11320
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷#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! 161
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 19/08/2026The 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.orgCongress’s 2027 budget could include new funding for Long COVID and ME - The Sick TimesAdvocates 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... 45617
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 19/08/2026Advocates 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... 16122
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 18/08/2026For 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: 252
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Advocates 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.orgCongress’s 2027 budget could include new funding for Long COVID and ME - The Sick TimesAdvocates 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... 15524
betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I'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? 32111
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 11/08/2026NEW: 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.comNIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policyUS biomedical agency no longer considers policymakers as ‘mission relevant’, leaving dozens of grants in limbo. 19526385
Reposted by betsy ladyzhets 😷The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 11/08/2026A 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... 36831