What’s happening this week, November 21

Research and advocacy

• The organizers of Long Covid Moonshot told The Sick Times that over 500 calls were logged from 36 states during last Tuesday’s telethon and that numerous callers are set to meet with their representatives. The advocacy effort was inspired by a single Tweet and a Nature op-ed by Lisa McCorkell and Micahel Peluso that called for $1 billion in funding every year for the next ten years.

• A new study, published in Annals of Epidemiology, found that nearly half of 363,000 U.S. veterans who tested positive for Covid-19 still had symptoms up to 6 months later. The study concluded that the high prevalence of Long Covid emphasizes the importance of the continued mitigation measures needed against Covid-19. 

• The use of stellate ganglion block may be a helpful treatment for some people with smell problems following a Covid-19 infection. One study from earlier this year showed that 87% of 195 people receiving the treatments had improvements from the neck injection. A new study presenting its results at the Radiological Society of North America annual conference later this month similarly found improvements in 60% of people who received the treatment. 

• Another round of free at-home rapid-antigen tests is available starting November 20. You can order them online here, or call 1-800-232-0233.

Media and culture

• A new anthology, The Long Covid Reader: Writing and Poetry from 45 Long Haulers, celebrates its release today with a virtual reading from writers Pato Herbert, Andrew David King, Nikki Stewart, and founding editor, Mary Ladd. The free event takes place today, November 21, at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST. Register for the Zoom event here.

• Researcher and writer Nisa Malli recently started a new Substack, The Impairing Curse, a long-form, serialized experiment that blends prose and poetry about Long Covid and chronic illness. As she writes in her opening post, the publication will be “part science journalism, part body horror, part lyric essay, part policy analysis, part poetry. All true, even the monsters.”

• Lastly, Dr. Zeest Khan launched a new podcast this month, Long Covid, MD, detailing her experience of living with Long Covid and offering “practical tools to help you navigate your medical options and maintain some joy in the face of this confounding disease.”