We, your constituents, are calling on the City of Austin to join our global neighbors in officially recognizing March 15 as International Long COVID Awareness Day (ILCAD) to acknowledge the Austin residents living with Long COVID.

March 15, 2026 will mark six years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic. Since then, nearly 500 million people around the world, including children, have developed Long COVID. Since this figure is based on an estimate from 2023, the actual number of people with Long COVID in 2026 is likely much higher. Despite the high global prevalence of Long COVID, many people with this disabling condition have been repeatedly dismissed or ignored, including in public health and medical settings.

There are no approved treatments for Long COVID, despite ongoing risks of COVID-19 reinfections increasing the likelihood of developing Long COVID and worsening pre-existing Long COVID symptoms. The symptoms and impacts of Long COVID are vast and variable.

There are over 200 documented symptoms associated with Long COVID, including debilitating fatigue, autonomic dysfunction (like POTS), cognitive impairment, and immune system dysregulation. Official recognition of Long COVID is a step towards improving the health and wellbeing of people living with this disabling condition and the larger disabled community in Austin.

International Long COVID Awareness Day was first observed in 2023 “as a way to unite efforts for Long COVID awareness around the globe. That means telling the truth about the lasting impact of COVID-19, sharing our stories about living with Long COVID, and advocating for preventions, education, policy change, and treatments. Over the past few years, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Scotland, Australia, Mexico, and many others have joined together to help bring attention on International Long COVID Awareness Day.” (The SickTimes, 2025)

In 2025 almost 90 sites lit up in teal in recognition of ILCAD. Included in those sites were the Millennium Fountain in Irving, Texas and El Paso International Airport (Long COVID Foundation, 2025). As a city that prides itself on being welcoming, accessible, vibrant, and innovative, the City of Austin has a responsibility to demonstrate and sustain a commitment to supporting its residents living with Long COVID.

We, the undersigned, respectfully ask Austin City Council to:

• Introduce and adopt a resolution designating March 15 as International Long COVID Awareness Day in Austin.

• Increase visibility for Long COVID and International Long COVID Awareness Day via the City or Austin Public Health’s social media platforms and internal and external communications. This includes but is not limited to press releases, social media posts, newsletters, and City of Austin websites. It's imperative that this is done in collaboration and with approval by people from the Long COVID community, including patients, their allies, and engaged clinicians.

• Support a collaboration between Austin Public Health, Clear the Air ATX, and a Post-COVID medical professional to create an updated "Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions" resource. Despite more education on Long COVID becoming available every year, Austin Public Health's current and sole resource for Long COVID has not been updated since 2023 and is missing essential resources and information.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our proposal for the City of Austin to recognize International Long COVID Awareness Day. We look forward to working together to improve the quality of life of all of our community members.