The Color of Long COVID

I developed Long COVID while practicing medicine. The system had no place for me.

Commentary, International

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By

Mustafa Talat

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April 17, 2026

I was three hours into my internal medicine ward call when the brain fog descended like a curtain dropping mid-performance.
Long COVID advocacy is incomplete without sex workers

Arts & Culture, Commentary

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By

Khalil (Kae) Dennis

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January 6, 2026

To Olive and other Black queer community members, many Long COVID advocates pay lip service to the disease’s disproportionate effects on Black, Brown, and trans communities while excluding those voices from larger policy discussions.
Long COVID taught me to slow down and stop trying to meet able-bodied benchmarks

Commentary

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By

Jermaine Greaves

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August 15, 2025

My life before Long COVID was very busy. I was in college, partying a lot and working as an artist and activist. I didn’t make time to rest, and it caused me to burn out. I tried to do everything at once and became overwhelmed.
Even stones break in this heat: Experiencing Long COVID in Indonesia

Commentary, International

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By

Fendy Satria Tulodo

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June 27, 2025

Now it’s been four years. And this thing — this invisible thing — is still here. Every morning is a gamble. Will I wake up with energy? Or will my legs feel like stone? Will I be able to focus? Or will my thoughts float around like lint in the air, impossible to catch?
A serendipitous friendship taught me my greatest lesson in living with Long COVID: How to just be

Commentary

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By

Christina Igaraividez

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March 21, 2025

It’s difficult for me to tell people about Long COVID because it’s impossible for them to understand how someone who looks so “normal” can be so sick. Most of the time, I don’t say anything. But something about Bianca’s warmth made me feel like I could. Little did I know, meeting her would lead me…
The Long COVID unicorn: How I lost faith in my leftist political party

Commentary

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By

Sam Williams

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February 25, 2025

During a Zoom meeting with a member of my local Green Party, I asked to give an in-person speech about the COVID-19 policy and my own experiences. I was excited to give my speech about Long COVID. I thought I would be speaking to a friendly crowd who understood the threat of COVID-19, but I…
Instead of supporting people with Long COVID, our government funds a genocide

Commentary

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By

jennalaila

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January 17, 2025

My final rejection for disability benefits was sent to me in March 2024, during Israel’s horrific, ongoing genocide in Gaza. Before becoming disabled with Long COVID, I worked full-time in the movement for Palestinian liberation. My father is Palestinian, born in the Old City of Jerusalem, and I grew up with stories about the steadfast…
My Mom was disabled by ME, but I didn’t understand until I developed Long COVID. I wrote an apology letter to her.

Commentary

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By

Jacquie Luciano

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December 10, 2024

Dear Mom, Thirty years later, I finally understand. Do you remember the year 1994? You got sick when I was a child, and you weren’t ever the same again. At first, it was a cough and congestion But as days gathered into weeks, you spent more time in bed Why are you so tired, I…