3/29/25: Office of Long COVID ordered shut down; a transformative friendship

The Office of Long COVID Research and Practice is the latest on the Trump administration's chopping block. It's in line with steps taken to target and erase federal responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Long COVID crisis.

And finding a friend with Long COVID proves a transformative gift for a fellow performer living with Long COVID.

In this episode of Still Here: Co-hosts Betsy Ladyzhets and Miles Griffis recap their reporting about the Office of Long COVID's closure. Plus, hear storyteller, performer, and comedian Christina Igaraividez read part of her essay for the Color of Long COVID series, about a transformative friendship that allowed her to just be.

Also, a new study in the American Journal of Medicine found people living with Long COVID and people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis have similarly impaired vascular function and the latest COVID-19 trends. 

The transcript for this podcast is⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ available on The Sick Times’ website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can jump to specific sections of the podcast and transcript below:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:11) COVID-19 trends

(00:05:25) Trump administration set to abolish Office of Long COVID

(00:20:45) A transformative friendship between two people with Long COVID

(00:25:13) Research: New study shows people with Long COVID, people with ME have similarly impaired vascular function

(00:27:49) Outro

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Mentioned in this episode (in order of appearance):

• Submit a voice memo reflecting on over 5 years of COVID-19 and Long COVID
• The Sick Times: National COVID-19 trends, March 25
• CDC wastewater dashboard
• Biobot wastewater risk reports
• WastewaterSCAN dashboard
• The Sick Times: Trump administration set to abolish the Office of Long COVID Research and PracticeQ&A: Dr. Ian Simon on his plans for the HHS Office of Long Covid Research and Practice Trump commands HHS to terminate advisory committee on Long COVIDNow offline: Government resources about Long COVID as a disabilityBreaking: Vital Long COVID data taken down following Trump orderLong COVID data are being erased, againHalf a decade of Long COVID

• MuckRock: The ‘Uncounted:’ People of color are dying at much higher rates than what COVID data suggests
• Long COVID Campaign: Call Congress tool / Email Congress tool
• The Sick Times: UPDATE: RECOVER Long COVID pathobiology grants restored
• The Sick Times: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}