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Discussion thread: Long Covid episode is published! (Patreon)

Published:
2025-03-12 22:17:49
Imported:
2026-06

Content

 This episode is up and published and ready to hear! Not taking additional questions, as we already recorded Patron questions a few weeks back!

At very long last: an episode on Long Covid. I'm thrilled to have chatted with Dr. Wes Ely, who is considered one of the best Long Covid experts out there. We talked about what it is, whether or not it's real, why our bodies have trouble bouncing back after some infections, why it sucks so bad, and so much more. Next week, it will be all questions you asked a few weeks ago.

What did you think? Do you know anyone with Long Covid? Spread this one around to anyone you think it might help.

Immunologically yours,

Alie the Dad of Podwards

Files

Post-Viral Epidemiology (LONG COVID) Part 1 with Dr. Wes Ely - alie ward

What is Long Covid? Is it real? What does it feel like? Do you have it? And how do you cure it? With fatigue and brain fog, you don't want to spend hours scrolling through conflicting opinions.

Comments

Sarah Jo

Literally giddy that this info is being put out there!! Thank you for doing this!

Kate Timms

I miss the person I was before Long Covid. Everything is harder now, and I feel like I'm less smart. For a scientist, that's a huge disadvantage and I constantly feel self-conscious about it. I know that I make more mistakes and am more forgetful. I just have this constant brain fog now and constant bodily symptoms. Listening to this episode made me feel so seen, and made me cry a little. I cannot wait for the next episode and I am hoping the discussion coming up on potential treatments will give me some hope!

rebekah

As someone who suffered badly with long covid for two years after catching it in the initial wave, this was an excellent listen. Five years on, I’m now recovered to the point that it mostly doesn’t affect my daily life, but still get symptom flare ups when I’m ill or exhausted - it’s still in me somewhere. What a great episode. What a kind and wonderful man. Thanks for sharing!

GhoulNextDoor

This episode was spectacular and I can’t wait for next week’s part 2! One of my best friends has been suffering from long Covid and I sent it immediately to them. We both teared up when Dr. Ely was talking about how he interacts with his patients. I wish that was how everyone in medicine approached their patients! What great information!

Amy Giffin

Same here. One of the OGs, as my neuro calls my cohort. My 5 year COVIDversary is the 17th. I’m definitely nowhere near the person I was before, mentally or physically. I can’t wait to listen to this episode.

Marisa

Wonderful episode! Thank you!

George Sakoulas

A great episode from a fellow healthcare provider's point of view. Long COVID probably has ties in part to the changes seen in aging. Being an active 55 yr old and pushing myself my whole life physically, the long COVID stories I hear sound like as if someone took me from feeling like I did when I was 25 to how I feel today at 55 overnight. What makes you feel lousy when all your labs and medical studies are normal? Aging. Trust me, for those not yet 55 you will know what I mean. Notice how long covid is much more common among younger rather than older people, especially those that push themselves athletically. Someone should check out the mitochondria of long covid folks.

Alie Ward

We talk a bit more about mitochondria in part 2, out next week! Thank you for providing healthcare to folks. We'd be literally dead without y'all.

Alie Ward

Right?? Like what a relief it must feel like if you've been to multiple docs who might not believe you.

Alie Ward

Thanks for listening! I am lucky to have dodged covid so far and long covid is such a scary possibility. I hope people know that it's potentially much more than "just a cold."

Alie Ward

Oh Amy you got it so early on! And I'm so sorry it's such a struggle still for both of you.

Alie Ward

I was so happy to get Dr. Ely on the show. I feel like he's the best possible person for this.

Patrick W

This is an incredibly hard listen because the prospect of getting long COVID is terrifying to me. I consider myself relatively healthy and active, but I'm single and live alone and the thought of my entire world crashing down because of a single infection scares me a lot.

Susan G

Thank you for this episode! I have some friends who have Long COVID and will send it on to them. I have managed to avoid COVID so far, but I am a diligent masker (yeah, I know a thing or two about getting weird looks!) and as vaccinated as I can be, so hoping my COVID-free run holds. I have other chronic illnesses and the idea of long COVID terrifies me!

Philipp Meder

Same for me! I've been looking forward to this episode coming out so I can send it to my friends who have Long COVID.

T Noz

Dr Ely seems to be quite the firecracker! True story, I was listening to the episode sitting in a doctor’s office. My favorite part of the interview was the discussion on the effects of SARS-CoV2 on brain cells. Can’t wait for the Q & A next week.

princenocturnal

Dr Ely had me sobbing. I wish I could have healthcare workers like him in my life! I had Covid twice (when I was already vaxxed and boostered x2) and am very lucky that I recovered fully. I've been masking up in winter in commutes again and felt like this episode was needed to realize how bad long Covid can be (I didn't know) and how necessary masks still are. I'll be masking up whenever I am in public now.

Staci Pinkowitz

THANK YOOOU for this episode!! also dr. ely comes across like one of those people who was literally BORN to do his job.

Felipe Jimenez

This episode was so good and inspiring. I can’t believe he has time for everything, does he get more than 24 h per day???

BolognaShoes

I feel so much better about so many things after hearing this. I got a pretty mild case of covid shortly after my daughter was born in 2022 and also ended up developing a bad case of PPD. I'm realizing now that some of the memory loss I have from that time is probably covid related. I've been talking to doctors about PPD related memory loss and coming up short. It's all coming together now. Thank you Alie for the work you do, I don't think you realize how many little ways you change the lives of us ologites!

Jess H

Thank you so much for covering this topic, Alie! I was crying listening to Dr. Ely talking about his approach with his patients. If more people in the medical field had the time for patient interactions like this, what a different world we'd live in. Congrats on the podcast award, you and your team so deserve it!

Lisa John Rogers

Alie! Thank you for covering this episode. I had LC from 2020-2023 (about two and a half solid years) and it was so horrible. Your previous podcast about pain management and the psychology of pain literally changed my life during that dark time. From one science journalist to another—I APPRECIATE YOU ❤️

Lisa John Rogers

Also, if you ever do an episode on PFAS or “forever chemicals” I’d love to help on background as that is currently my beat

TB33

From the bottom of my covid-damaged heart, thank you for this episode. Like others, I cried a few times listening to Dr. Ely's kind and compassionate approach, and just the validation of my experience - which my other doctors have been almost entirely dismissive of.

Naia Holte

Thank you so much for such a fantastic, thorough episode. I feel so loved, healed, and seen as somebody with long Covid myself who never got to, and still can't get out of quarantine.

Ranger France

This was one of the most informing topics for me. I wondered why I didn't know anyone with long covid. When I started a new job in 2023, a coworker left took sick leave 2 weeks after I started and then after 6 months left and moved to Canada. I knew it was because of long covid, she even had a local news station interview her about it. But I never knew just how bad it is, and I thought not working and moving to canada was just part of her free spirited nature. This episode was the first time I realized with my own ears (not eyes obviously) how severe long covid actually can be and is. It's not just a 5 year long cold like I uninformed assumed for some reason (which would also still suck).

shelse

This is actually a fantastic episode. It's incredibly well done. I volunteer with a covid-focused mutual aid and advocacy group that's part of a national and international network of groups. Long Covid is so real and such an insidious condition. The statistics, which I didn't hear you get into too much detail about, are actually really, really bad. 1 in 10 infections results in Long Covid, but that risk is CUMULATIVE. So, by your third infection, the risk is 1 in 3. We are also seeing the SHORT-term impacts of covid, as opposed to the long-term. HIV takes about a decade to turn into full-blown AIDS. In another 5-10 years, how much worse will our population health be? The ONLY way to prevent Long Covid is to prevent catching covid, and covid is AIRBORNE. This is the biggest, biggest sticking point for most people. They truly do not understand that covid is airborne, and that is intentional. Ask yourself the last time you saw a sign somewhere that said to wash or sanitize your hands to prevent the spread of covid? I know I see it almost daily. But it's wrong. There is very little evidence that supports covid spreading on surfaces. It is airborne. You need a respirator. Legislative buildings around the world have had their ventilation systems upgraded since 2020. Has your workplace or your child's school? Our buildings are built to be energy efficient, which often means inadequate airflow and filtration. There are exceptions, but often, indoor air quality is poor. ASHRAE has a new standard, Standard 241, which was designed to reduce the risk of indoor, airborne pathogens by increasing ventilation and filtration. We need CLEAN AIR in our buildings, and we need it now. Until then, a well-fitted respirator is the only way to filter the air into your lungs.