iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Denis - The COVID Info Guy @thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social · 6h

Kids housebound or bedbound with Long COVID created superheroes inspired by their experiences with chronic illness and disability. Their heroes find strength in resting, asking for help and compassion. The characters now feature in a 72-page full-colour comic, Long Covid Superheroes. #LongCOVIDkids

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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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The current #COVID strain IS MORE transmissible. Please take steps to reduce risk of infection and transmission. Avoiding COVID is the only way to reduce risk of #LongCovid - which can be a result of any infection, of any level of severity. #Autumn 📷 @goodmorningbritain.bsky.social

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In this video, children and young people with lived experience of Long Covid share how the illness affects their everyday lives, helping others understand what it can feel like to live with Long Covid. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0U7... #LongCovidandMe #LongCovid #PEM #LongCovidKids

youtube.com

Long Covid & Me | Understanding Long Covid In Children And Young People

YouTube video by Long Covid Kids

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Hello Autumn 🍂 #toadstool 🍄 I think it’s a Fly Agaric? #FlyAgaric

A photo of a toadstool - flattened, bright orange-red mushroom cap scattered with small, raised white patches or warts across its upper surface. Surrounded by autumn leaves on the floor.

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It feels very special to have the work we do at LCK recognised in this way. What started in 2020 with families coming together to make sure children & young people with LC were seen & heard has become something I could never have imagined at the time. #WomenOfTheYear #WOY2026 #CelebratingWomen

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

“Look beyond absence. See the child living with Long Covid.” We’re really pleased to share that Long Covid Kids & Friends is featured by the National Attendance Portal. longcovidfeature.netlify.app #LongCovidKids #LongCovid #SchoolAttendance #InclusiveEducation #ChildHealth #MedicalNeeds

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Lindsay Skipper @lindsayskipper.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

For those too unwell to read the full paper or thread, here is short animation to show what happened in the ERASE-LC trial which tested the drug Remdesivir with people who have long Covid bsky.app/profile/prof...

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed. @georgemonbiot.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #ME #LongCovid

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Standing together against stigma and disbelief. Long Covid Kids has joined fellow members of the Overlapping Illness Alliance in writing to The Telegraph about “How having a disability became cool.” Complex illness deserves evidence and curiosity, not suspicion. 🧡 #LongCovid #Disability

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

3/7 Long Covid was associated with substantially worsened grades. Age 6–11: 18% vs 7% Age 12–17: 29% vs 11% Children with Long Covid were more than twice as likely to be reported as having substantially worsened grades.

Bar chart comparing substantially worsened grades in children with Long Covid and comparison groups. Among ages 6–11, 18% with Long Covid compared with 7% of the comparison group. Among ages 12–17, 29% with Long Covid compared with 11% of the comparison group. Children with Long Covid were more than twice as likely to be reported as having substantially worsened grades. Source: Reeder et al., Academic Pediatrics, 2026.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

.🧵 1/7 When Long Covid affects a child’s education, attendance is only part of the story. As a new school year begins, new research looks beyond whether children are present in school, to learning, attention and friendships. #Education #InclusiveEducation #Attendance

Long Covid Kids graphic. “When Long Covid affects a child’s education, attendance is only part of the story.” New research looks at the impact on learning, attention and friendships.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

1/4 🎒 How will school know what my child needs when their health changes day to day? For children with Long Covid and other prolonged, fluctuating and energy-limiting illnesses, the support they need at school may change too. An Individual Healthcare Plan can help. 🧵 #BackToSchool #LongCovidKids

Long Covid Kids graphic asking: ‘How will school know what my child needs when their health changes day to day?’ Below: ‘An Individual Healthcare Plan can help.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

“It is particularly important to me that our voices are heard by those who have the power to influence change.” Bethan, diagnosed at 16, now 21, reflects on the APPG on #LongCovid & why young people’s voices need to be heard. Read her account 👇 www.longcovidkids.org/post/paediat... #LongCovidKids

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Colin Pidgeon @baldypidge.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

@lewiscapaldioffice.bsky.social I don't know if you will read this. Probably not But I'd like you to know that my daughter and her friend loved your gig in Belfast last night. They were in the ♿ viewing area. Here's the thing... The world is full of barriers. Not everyone can slip through...

static.klipy.com

Cute Dog Squeezes Through Gate

Alt: Cute Dog Squeezes Through Gate

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

📢 We’re delighted that Long Covid Kids and Friends has been awarded £5,000 from the St James’s Place Charitable Foundation to explore the impact of #LongCovid on #children in Charnwood. Children and young people will help shape the work throughout. 🔗 bit.ly/4zK5a8D #LongCovidKids #Leicestershire

longcovidkids.org

St. James’s Place awards £5,000 to support Long Covid Kids and Friends project in Charnwood

Together, we will explore the prevalence and impact of Long Covid and associated symptoms among children and young people, with a particular focus on communities experiencing social and economic disad...

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

‘Air pollution can stunt the growth of young children's lungs leaving them at an increased risk of asthma, heart disease, diabetes and even premature death.’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #CleanAir

bbc.co.uk

Children's stunted lungs show recovery in ultra low emission zone

Children's lung capacity caught up with their peers in less polluted areas once a clean air zone came in, a study shows.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

A little #summer inspiration. Looking for something to read, create or do? We’ve got three new blogs. We hope you find a little inspiration to enjoy at your own pace, and remember to stay cool, keep hydrated and stay sun safe in the summer heat. longcovidkids.org/so/feP--mUXm

longcovidkids.org

What's New

Hello Friends, A little summer inspiration. Looking for something to read, create or do this summer? We’ve got three new blogs from the Long Covid Kids community to explore. We hope you find a little ...

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

We’ve launched a T-shirt design #competition for anyone aged 21 and under — and we’re looking for something creative, meaningful and contemporary that you’d be proud to wear yourself. There’s no set theme, but you might be inspired by: 🌱 Growth 🧡 Belonging 💪 Courage 🎨 Creativity ✨ Hope 🤝 Community

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

🎨 Could your design be our next Long Covid Kids T-shirt? Our design competition is open to anyone aged 21 & under. Create something inspired by hope, belonging, courage, community — or something completely different. 👇 www.longcovidkids.org/post/design-... #LongCovidKids #LongCovid #Summer

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

🧡 On #SevereMEDay we stand alongside everyone living with severe and very severe ME, their families and carers, and remember those whose lives have been lost. Absence is not absence of need. #SevereME #LongCovid

A girl with dark hair stares out of a closed window with a slatted blind. Her head is resting on her hand, she looks sad.

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Could it be that children are unwell +/or have unmet needs? that they are masking / pushing through / people pleasing for as long as they can. … & are simply exhausted / too symptomatic by #Friday ? ‘Fridays are "becoming a particular weak spot for #attendance" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#LongCovid is not a ‘subject’ to dispute. It’s a health condition that changes people’s lives. Definitions can evolve & that’s not an excuse to dismiss the illness itself. Diagnostic criteria for diabetes have repeatedly changed over time but no one takes u seriously if you say diabetes in disputed!

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Recommendations for journalists to counter epistemic injustice in reporting Long Covid and similar conditions. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Journalists #LongCovid #Children #Childhood

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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Hey @lewisgoodall.com here is our Lancet article on Long COVID. Happy to chat. www.thelancet.com/action/showP...

thelancet.com

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The editors have done a great job! Sign up: www.longcovidkids.org/join-our-new... #Newsletter #Summer #LongCovidKids #YouthVoice #Editor

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Interesting opinion. You disagree with NIHR funded research, NIH funded research, WHO definition and the growing body of evidence?

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Five years on. We're making progress, but we're not there yet. Children and young people living with Long Covid deserve timely care, support and the opportunity to participate fully in childhood. #LongCovid #ChildHealth #LongCovidKids @channel5news.bsky.social

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

🧡 Keep an eye out between 5 and 6pm this evening! Some of our members and our Chair of Trustees will be featured on Channel 5 News. We're advised this is when the report is expected to air. If you can, please help us spread the word by liking, commenting on posts. 🙏 for your support.

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Mark Faghy @profmarkfaghy.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

If you're aged 18+ and living with Long COVID, your experiences could help shape future rehabilitation pathways and improve support for others facing similar challenges. 📝 Complete the survey here: app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/lboro/long...

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk

Factors Influencing Experiences of Rehabilitation Among Adults with Long COVID: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study - Online Surveys | Online surveys

Online surveys is a powerful, easy to use tool for creating online surveys. Run by Jisc, Online surveys is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK...

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

"Participation is the bridge between education and opportunity" @sammiemc.bsky.social, Founder & CEO, LCK Read the full blog: www.longcovidkids.org/post/opportu... #InclusiveEducation #LongCovid #Education #SEND

Blue image with white text. Sammie McFarland, Founder and CEO of Long Covid Kids, said:

"We warmly welcome the Government's ambition to broaden educational opportunities and recognise that there should be multiple pathways to success. Every young person deserves the chance to develop their talents and prepare for adult life.
For many children living with Long Covid and other overlapping prolonged, fluctuating and energy-limiting illnesses, the greatest barrier isn't aspiration or ability. It's having an equitable opportunity to participate meaningfully in education. Participation is the bridge between education and opportunity.
Before we can talk about future pathways, we must first ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in learning, school life and the experiences that make up childhood.
By working together across education, health and the voluntary sector, we have an opportunity to build a more inclusive education system—one that recognises different journeys, values meaningful participation and enables every child and young person not only to learn, but to develop, thrive and fully participate in childhood."

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

If you shop online please consider supporting a small charity like @longcovidkids.bsky.social You buy your usual stuff @easyfundraising.bsky.social collects the donation from the store. Every little helps. join.easyfundraising.org.uk/long-covid-k...

join.easyfundraising.org.uk

You spend, brands donate to Long Covid Kids and Friends.

Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

A thoughtful perspective from teacher Flynn Lovelace on what they've witnessed in classrooms since the pandemic. Children deserve the opportunity to learn, participate and thrive. We're grateful to see these experiences shared. 🧡 Worth a read. thesicktimes.org/2026/07/24/t... @thesicktimes.org

thesicktimes.org

The (sick) kids aren’t alright: Observations from a teacher with Long COVID - The Sick Times

We must help students by addressing Long COVID and advocating for clean air in schools.

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The Government reforms offer an opportunity to think differently about what an inclusive education system looks like. An inclusive system recognises that children will not all participate in the same way. #InclusiveEducation #ChildrenAndYoungPeople #Education #SEND #SchoolAttendance#LongCovidKids

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

🌟 Jana has started her triathlon 🌟 She would love to hit her target 🎯. www.justgiving.com/page/jana-sp... #LondonT100 #T100Triathlon #T100 #SwimBikeRun #LongCovidKids

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I hope this new chapter is one in which we build stronger, more joined-up systems that leave every child better supported than before. Proud to share @longcovidkids.bsky.social's reflections below. 🧡 #ChildHealth #HealthPolicy #PandemicPreparedness #LongCovid

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

The team found significantly lower levels of the imaging marker—indicating reduced dopamine nerve terminal density—across all major regions of the striatum, the brain structure that plays a central role in motivation, movement and thinking, in people with long COVID compared with healthy individuals

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

People living with long COVID, ME/CFS & other persistent illnesses do not need another argument about whether their illness is physical or psychological. They need careful assessment, respect, support, research and treatment approaches that are honest about uncertainty. #LongCovid #MSCFS

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This week the DfE published the first part of its updated statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions, focusing on allergy safety. There are several encouraging developments 🧵⬇️ #MedicalNeeds #SchoolInclusion #LongCovid #ChildHealth

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

After all, they are the people who live with the consequences of the decisions we make. Their insights are different from ours, and those decisions are better when their voices are genuinely part of the conversation. www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2624849... #Dorset #YouthVoices #YouthAdvocacy

dorsetecho.co.uk

‘We deserve to be heard’:Young woman takes Long Covid fight to Parliament

A young woman from Weymouth has spoken in Parliament about the realities of growing up with Long Covid, sharing her experience with MPs and health…

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

One of the biggest lessons I've learnt over the last 6 yrs is that #LivedExperience doesn't simply strengthen research, clinical expertise and policy; it transforms them. www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2624849... (photos of behind the scenes moment from the APPG 😊) #LongCovidKids #YouthVoice

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

We're gathering case studies about education from children, young people and families living with #LongCovid and overlapping illnesses. Barriers, good practice and what needs to change. 📧:info@longcovidkids.org #LongCovidKids #MECFS #SEND #Education

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A difficult but important read - @thetimes.com Sadly, many families in our community will recognise the challenges described here. As we shared at the recent APPG on Long Covid, childhood doesn't pause while a child waits to recover. www.thetimes.com/article/0072... #SEND #LongCovid

thetimes.com

I was pushed to home school my sons — now I have no support

Our Send agony aunt offers advice to a mother whose two children are too ill to go to school, leaving her to spend thousands of pounds on home education

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Sammie McFarland @sammiemc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

It's hard to put 6 yrs into words. We've shared some of life's hardest moments, plenty of laughter, & a determination to make life better for children & young people living with Long Covid. Most of all, I'm grateful our paths crossed, & even more grateful for your friendship @helen-goss.bsky.social

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

As evidence grows and we continue learning from our community, we'll keep developing the resources people need. 🔗https://www.longcovidkids.org/download-resources Please share to help us reach more families and professionals. 💛 #Learning #LongCovid #LongCovidKids #ChildHealth #Community

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

📚 Have you explored the Long Covid Kids Resource Library? We've brought together free guidance, practical tools and trusted information for children, young people, families, educators & healthcare professionals. 🔗https://www.longcovidkids.org/download-resources #LongCovid #LongCovidKids #Resource

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