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🚨I wrote about COVID-19 long-haulers—the thousands of people who’ve been struggling with *months* of debilitating symptoms. Many have faced disbelief from friends and medical professionals because they don’t fit the typical profile of the disease. 1/

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
Most of them haven’t been hospitalized so their cases technically count as “mild.” But their lives have nonetheless been flattened by rolling waves of symptoms, inc. weeks of fever, delirium, crushing fatigue. Many are young & were previously healthy. 2/

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
They're a crucial and largely overlooked part of the pandemic narrative. Many have doubted themselves, been gaslit and dismissed, been told it's all in their heads. 3/

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
And all of this, of course, is what people with ME/CFS and other similar illnesses have been dealing with for decades. The overlap between those conditions and long-term COVID-19 make up the final part of this piece. 4/

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
It struck me while reporting this that many long-haulers I interviewed have had symptoms for *the whole time* I've been writing about the pandemic. Throughout the mask debate, the hydroxychloroquine debate, the reopening debate, they've been sick. 5/

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
I hope this piece helps long-haulers feel more seen. And I hope everyone else notes @sarahmarieramey's quote: "The illness itself is horrible and ravaging, but being told you’ve made it up, over and over again, is by far the worst of it.”

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
(We had a brief logistical hiccup, but this piece is now off the Atlantic's paywall, and part of our free pandemic coverage. As always, if our work is valuable to you, and you have the means, subscriptions really help us: accounts.theatlantic.com/products/)

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
One more thing. It's not my place to give medical advice, but I'll highlight a common theme from the COVID long-haulers & ME/CFS folks I've heard from: Rest is really important, and trying to "push through it" can lead to relapses & a much worse baseline.

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
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Ed Yong
@edyong209
Thanks to everyone who read and shared this story. I learned so much while reporting it and I want to share some other relevant writing for folks who want to read more about the issues in my piece.

This piece by @brianvastag and @rndNumGen goes deeper into the overlap between covid long-haulers and ME/CFS, and on research into that overlap.

washingtonpost.com/health/could-c…
This essay by @felicitycallard, one of the long-haulers in my piece, on what “mild” means and how it’s used, is just a fantastic piece of scholarship. Highly recommended.

somatosphere.net/2020/mild-covi…
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Ed Yong
@edyong209
Hello! More of you have started following me in the last weeks since I last did this, so let me introduce you to YET MORE people I respect, who've created some pandemic writing that's really stuck with me. (And do check out the original thread below.)

This @katchow piece about the loss of her uncle is eulogy and memoir, beautiful and heartbreaking, and a necessary reminder that, as Kat writes, "Time is of the essence." thecut.com/2020/05/theres…
As we begin to re-emerge into an uncertain world, I found @JuliaLMarcus's piece on quarantine fatigue to be a compassionate, sensible, and much-needed guide to navigating risk. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
Read 15 tweets
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Ed Yong
@edyong209
For everyone who has read my pandemic coverage at the Atlantic, let me take a moment to thank all the colleagues who've made these happen. A lot of this labour goes unseen, but let me tell you, it is *intense*.
Editors: @thebanderson, @andersen, @slaskow, @PaulBisceglio

Fact-checkers: @jdkstern13, @cray_kate, @noahkimofficial

Copy-editors: @latham_tori, Caroline Coppel, @janicewolly

Fearless leaders: @SwatiGauri, @AdrienneLaF, @JeffreyGoldberg
Media: @annacbross @HelenTobin

Social: @mimbsy

Art: @arshraziuddin, Joan Wong --> (Hire Joan! jowoho.co)

Idea-generators, info-sharers, emotional support: Too many people in our newsroom to name.

I've def forgotten people and it's going to haunt me later.
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