Shining a Light on Long Covid, a ‘Vicious Affliction’
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Credit…Allie Sullberg
To the Editor:
Re “Could Long Covid Be the Senate’s Bipartisan Cause?,” by Zeynep Tufekci (column, Feb. 20):
Like one of the people you interviewed, I, too, was an “Energizer bunny” before I contracted Covid. I worked as many as 18 hours a day for an aerospace company, got A’s in my grad school classes, ran my own nonprofit and served on the board of directors of several other nonprofits.
However, two active Covid infections within three months — in June and August of 2022 — left me virtually bedridden with long Covid for 18 months. I wasn’t able to complete my master’s degree on time, had to accept a demotion at work (as an accommodation for my infirmity), and am in further danger of losing my job entirely if my health does not improve soon.
To add insult to injury, there are too many dismissive doctors who treat long Covid in an ineffective manner and believe that long Covid is largely a psychological issue. That just smacks of gaslighting.
We need strong, consistent funding and relentless, targeted research to identify effective diagnostic testing and successful therapies. We need to require insurance companies to fund experimental or off-label usage of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals (food products with health benefits). We, the sick, need help.
Please keep producing articles that shine a light on this vicious affliction. There are so many of us who desperately need a cure and a voice.
Sorina Suma Christian
Mobile, Ala.
To the Editor:
Thank you for the incredible piece about long Covid. My husband is 30 years old and was in his residency for neurology at the University of California, Irvine, when he came down with long Covid. It’s ruined his life. He cannot talk or walk and has 24/7 sensory deprivation.