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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 15h

“The best way to understand the biology of the disease is … to disrupt the pathways we think are at play to see what happens." @davetuller1.bsky.social reported on the recent ISLC-PAIS conference in Amsterdam, highlighting key points from the multi-day event. thesicktimes.org/2026/10/06/b...

thesicktimes.org

Biological pathways and mechanistic trials centered at new Long COVID conference in Amsterdam - The Sick Times

Researchers, clinicians, and advocates gathered for the inaugural conference of the International Society for Long COVID and Post-Acute Infection Syndromes in the Netherlands in late August. The four-...

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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17h

COVID-19 trends continue to diverge by region. The Northwest seems to be the latest hotspot, and Western states overall are seeing an early start to flu season. thesicktimes.org/2026/10/06/n...

Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for October 6, 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 "very low*" (lighter yellow) and significantly decreasing (directly down arrow); and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and stable (side to side 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."

COVID-19 trends continue to diverge by region, as some parts of the country are seeing a summer wave taper off and others are seeing cases rise with the onset of colder weather. The Northwest seems to be the latest hotspot, and Western states overall are seeing an early start to flu season.

Cases continue to decline in the South, with wastewater data from the CDC, WastewaterSCAN, and Biobot Analytics as well as test positivity and emergency department visits all showing multiple weeks of decreases for this region. However, COVID-19 levels are still higher in these states, as outbreaks from the summer wave have not yet concluded.
In the West, there seems to be a split between North and South: test positivity rates and ED visits are starting to decline in the Southwest but increasing in the Northwest.

Two line charts showing test positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, from the CDC's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS). The top chart shows trends for health region 9, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and other island territories; the bottom chart shows trends for health region 10, including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington state. On both charts, the X axis represents time, going from September 2025 to September 2026, and the Y axis represents the percent of tests reporting positive results each week, going from 0% to 30%. Influenza is represented by a blue line and triangles and SARS-CoV-2 is represented by a red line and circles. Both regions have recently reported higher COVID-19 levels and are starting to report higher flu levels. In the latest data, region 9 is showing a potential decline in COVID-19 and more rapid increase in flu, while region 10 is showing a continued increase in COVID-19 and more muted (but still significant) increase in flu.

The test positivity rate for health region 10, which includes Northwest states, has been over 10% for the last three weeks.
Flu cases are also starting to increase on the West coast. Test positivity data for flu, from the same CDC system where I find these data for COVID-19, show recent increases for both health region 10 and region 9, the Southwest.

I’m watching to see if COVID-19 levels go up further in the Northeast and Midwest, as these regions saw fewer cases this summer and often experience bigger outbreaks with colder weather.
There’s some good news for ongoing data availability: the CDC has awarded a new wastewater testing contract to Verily covering about 200 sites in the CDC's network. As Verily also had the prior contract for these sites, there will be a shorter gap in data than if the CDC was switching to a different contractor. It’s still unclear how long we may see a reporting break, though — the latest note on the CDC dashboard simply says “there will be a brief gap.”

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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

"One study found that 10-20% of children with a history of COVID-19 develop Long COVID. The same study estimated nearly six million children have Long COVID in the U.S. as of 2024 and that it surpassed asthma as the most common chronic health problem in children." thesicktimes.org/2026/10/05/k...

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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Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

"These Long COVID Superheroes may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they’re showing us a world where listening to your body, standing up for your needs, resting, and leaning on others is true bravery" 📝: @heatherhogan.bsky.social thesicktimes.org/2026/10/05/k...

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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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 05/10/2026

Newly knighted ME advocate Anil van der Zee discusses his royal honor with @davetuller1.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/10/02/a...

ME advocate Anil van der Zee holds the Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau medal in his home. He poses with Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema in a darkened room. The text reads, “Virology Blog x The Sick Times. Anil van der Zee receives Dutch royal distinction. The newly knighted ME advocate discusses his royal honor with David Tuller. Interview.”

I don’t especially care for awards in general, nor do I enjoy doing this “work.” It’s not a new calling in life. I’m not an activist or patient advocate, although I realize others might label me that way. I have better things to do than having to fight for basic healthcare, debunking shoddy science and so on. It’s borne out of sheer desperation as a patient in the hope of getting better or at least being sick with proper care. Just being sick without having to fight for other things we’re currently dealing with as patients would already be amazing.

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october "pre-order The Struggle Is Always Worth It now!" krausch @octoberk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The lack of information in prison and overall abysmal health care mean that almost no one even knows what Long COVID is, let alone if it explains their experiences. Some people, like Qaurra Rose, have given up seeking healthcare entirely. 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 · 01/10/2026

People w Long COVID are stigmatized & ignored throughout society. In prison, it's a situation of almost total silence. Despite very high COVID infection rates, there's no talk abt Long COVID cases. That's a result of the way prisons treat medical needs in general. 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

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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 30/09/2026

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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 29/09/2026

To stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 trends, make sure you're signed up for our newsletter! You'll get @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social's breakdown every Tuesday, delivered directly to your inbox! thesicktimes.org/newsletter/

The CDC’s infectious disease forecasting center, which uses emergency department data, estimates that COVID-19 cases are “growing or likely growing” in 14 states, “declining or likely declining” in five states, and “not changing” in 18 states as of September 23.
The West coast remains a major hotspot for COVID-19 spread as it’s been throughout the summer. The CDC describes average SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater as “high” for California, Oregon, and Washington and “very high” for Hawaii; what the CDC calls “high,” I would characterize as actually very high given the agency’s high baseline for this metric.

Levels might be declining in some parts of the West but are still going up in others.
COVID-19 levels in the South seem to be on the decline, but remain higher as this region has also been a hotspot this summer.
The Northeast might be the next hotspot, with wastewater as well as healthcare system data reporting potential increases.

This week, the CDC’s wastewater dashboard includes a note that data will be interrupted for about 200 testing sites. The note describes this as a “brief gap” in data while the agency awards a new contract to a biotech company that will supplement testing programs at state and local public health departments.
While the CDC says there will be a “brief gap” in data from these sites, it doesn’t provide any specifics on when a new contract will be awarded or how the agency will support places impacted by this break in testing. My story from last June includes more context on this situation.

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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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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

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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

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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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 26/09/2026

We want to hear from you and understand how you engage with The Sick Times. Please take this quick survey to let us know what you think: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SS6ZH8S

A black background with white text reads, “If you have 5 minutes, we’d love your feedback on our Long COVID journalism. What do you say? Take the survey. The Sick Times.”

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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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 24/09/2026

1,700 people have signed a petition asking for a pause and independent review of a Long COVID trial planning to test the Lighting Process, a pseudoscientific mind-body program that outside experts have heavily criticized. Read more from spichaksimon.bsky.social: thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/p...

A close up of a grey stone building at McMaster University. Ivy crawls across the building, changing color in fall. It appears green, orange, and red. The text reads, “The Sick Times. People with Long COVID demand pause of McMaster University clinical trial. By Simon Spichak. Reporting.”

Key points you should know:

A petition signed by 1,700 people asks for a pause and independent review of a trial run by McMaster University researchers who want to test the Lightning Process.

The Lightning Process is a pseudoscientific mind-body program to try to treat Long COVID that has been accused of exploiting people with Long COVID and related diseases.

The trial is designed in part by a Lightning Process practitioner and prescreens participants for motivation using a questionnaire that isn’t validated for Long COVID.

There are very few trials and little funding in Canada for Long COVID research, and advocates believe that studying the Lightning Process instead of pathobiological pathways is a waste of funding.

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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 24/09/2026

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Maria Christou @mariacervin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Congratulations @thesicktimes.org 🥳

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samanthAAAH! riedel @samanthawrites.net · 23/09/2026

"Disability activists warned for years that this would be the outcome of allowing COVID-19 to spread unmitigated. 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."

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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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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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Simon Spichak @spichaksimon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

For @thesicktimes.org, I covered a petition that over 1,700 people have signed calling for a pause to a trial that's applying for ethical approval to test a psuedoscientific program for #LongCOVID called The Lightning Process. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/22/p... 1/n

Screenshot of Sick Times article. Title: "People with Long COVID demand pause of McMaster University clinical trial"

DEK: 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.

Image: A college building

ey points you should know:

A petition signed by 1,700 people asks for a pause and independent review of a trial run by McMaster University researchers who want to test the Lightning Process.

The Lightning Process is a pseudoscientific mind-body program to try to treat Long COVID that has been accused of exploiting people with Long COVID and related diseases.

The trial is designed in part by a Lightning Process practitioner and prescreens participants for motivation using a questionnaire that isn’t validated for Long COVID.

There are very few trials and little funding in Canada for Long COVID research, and advocates believe that studying the Lightning Process instead of pathobiological pathways is a waste of funding.

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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 22/09/2026

In the South, wastewater and healthcare system data both indicate decreasing COVID-19 cases. The CDC’s infectious disease forecasting center estimates cases are “declining or likely declining” in 13 states as of September 16, including states across the South.
In the West, there are conflicting data on whether the wave has peaked or is still rising. The CDC’s regional average for the West reports a decline, while WWSCAN reports a plateau or slower increase and Biobot Analytics reports a significant increase.
Still, recent COVID-19 levels are higher across both the South and West.

Chart from the CDC's Center for Disease Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA) displaying recent epidemic trends for COVID-19. The chart is a map of the U.S. with states color-coded according to their COVID-19 trend status: dark purple for "growing" cases, lighter purple for "likely growing," white for "not changing," gray for "not estimated," lighter teal for "likely declining," and darker teal for "declining." Text above the chart reads: "As of September 16, 2026, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 27 states, declining or likely declining in 13 states, and not changing in 10 states. Previous estimates can be found on data.cdc.gov." The states with "growing or likely growing" cases are largely all in the North of the U.S. (plus California, Alaska, and Hawaii) and states with "declining or likely declining" cases are all in the South.

The Northeast, and to a lesser extent the Midwest, are starting to report increasing COVID-19 spread after lower levels throughout the summer. The CDC’s forecasting center estimates cases are “growing or likely growing” in 27 states, with most of those in the Northeast, Midwest, and Northwest.

As updated COVID-19 vaccines have started to become available, some health experts are raising concerns about their status in the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program, which provides free vaccinations to children who are uninsured, underinsured, or otherwise need financial support. The agency hasn’t yet decided whether COVID-19 vaccines will be part of the program this year, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Delaying or restricting COVID-19 vaccines from this program could lead to increased severe infections and Long COVID among children.

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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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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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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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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

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Heather Hogan @heatherhogan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Help us get better!

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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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 21/09/2026

We want to know how you feel about the job we’re doing at The Sick Times. Please help us by taking this quick survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SS6ZH8S

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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

Want to stay on top of all the latest Long COVID research? Sign up for our newsletter and get @mileswgriffis.bsky.social's research updates delivered directly to your inbox every Tuesday! thesicktimes.org/newsletter/

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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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 17/09/2026

This week at The Sick Times, Selina Nwulu argues that corporate interests have had more say in our behaviors toward both COVID-19 and the climate crisis than any evidence-based public health response. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/15/d...

A demonstrator holds a cardboard sign that reads "People Not Profit". The demonstrator has long hair and wears a high quality black mask. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Denial is a tactic for both the COVID-19 and climate crises. By Selina Nwulu. Commentary.”

Corporate influences in today’s age don’t look like outright denial; instead, leaders insist on the smoke and mirrors of “business as usual.”
Living in this denial, and subsequent neglect, is catastrophic on both a practical and existential level. What does it do to our sense of self and safety to be routinely gaslit out of reacting in real time to the crises that surround us?

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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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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 16/09/2026

This summer’s COVID-19 wave may have reached its peak in some parts of the country, as major metrics report disease levels stagnating or starting to decline as of early September. But levels remain high in many places, particularly in the West and South. thesicktimes.org/2026/09/15/n...

Graphic from The Sick Times sharing the latest COVID-19 trends for September 15, 2026. The graphic presents trends for three metrics: WastewaterSCAN category for SARS-CoV-2, which is "high" (represented with red) and stable (represented with a side to side arrow); CDC wastewater viral activity level for SARS-Cov-2, which is "very low*" (lighter yellow) and stable; and CDC COVID-19 test positivity, which is moderate (darker yellow) and stable. Text below these metrics reads: "*CDC wastewater viral activity levels are calculated based on measurements in the last two years only. They do not account for the lower spread that could be possible with more widespread precautions."

Wastewater data from the CDC and Biobot Analytics report that national averages of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage have leveled off in recent weeks. WastewaterSCAN still reports an increasing national average through early September, but the rate of that increase has slowed down a lot compared to the rapid climb reported in August.

The West and South have reported the highest SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater throughout this wave. In the West, wastewater data from both WWSCAN and Biobot suggest that COVID-19 outbreaks may still be growing in some places.

Based on wastewater data, this summer’s wave appears to have included fewer COVID-19 cases than prior summers’. However, such comparisons always need to come with a large grain of salt, because scientists don’t have a great sense of how the coronavirus’ continued evolution, as well as the many other factors that make wastewater data messy, has impacted the way individual infections show up in sewage.

While the COVID-19 wave may be peaking, other viruses are slowly starting to enter the picture.

The CDC’s flu surveillance network reports growing cases of influenza-like illness, or people seeking healthcare for fever plus cough or sore throat, over recent weeks. This is a broad metric that can include some COVID-19 cases along with flu, RSV, and other viruses that cause similar respiratory symptoms.

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The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 15/09/2026

Want to stay on top of more Long COVID clinical trials and breaking news like this? Sign up for The Sick Times newsletter: thesicktimes.org/newsletter/

The 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 Tuesday morning. While the trial’s findings require further analysis and peer-review, the initial results are among the most promising from any Long COVID trial reported so far, the study’s expert advisors said.

BioVie plans to use these results from its phase 2 trial, called ADDRESS-LC, to inform a larger, phase 3 study that could confirm the drug’s ability to help people with Long COVID. The company also seeks to pursue accelerated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, representatives said during a webinar discussing the results.

Bezisterim is a novel drug also being tested for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The drug is a synthetic derivative of a steroid and can cross the blood-brain barrier, which means it can directly impact the brain and change neurological symptoms. BioVie states that the drug is believed to reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.

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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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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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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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Annette Parde-Maass @netlibrarian.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

“When one neurologist told me I was “just depressed and anxious,” I finally said, “We’re going to stop the gaslighting right now.””

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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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