Thanks for shedding light on long COVID [“COVID: Where We Are Now—Where We’re Headed,” Cover Story, September]. Although the patients profiled found some help, many patients find that their physicians don’t believe long COVID is real, or they believe the symptoms are psychosomatic. These patients are not getting the support they need to improve their quality of life. The CDC has issued guidance for physicians in treating long COVID. It starts with believing the patient and validating concerns. It recognizes that usual testing will often come back “fine,” but that is not a reason to discount symptoms or pursue appropriate treatment or referrals.

Enjoyed the long COVID story. It’s a tough field. The border between long COVID and something else is nebulous and further complicated with comorbidity. Even with those challenges, author Nicole Pajer patiently and methodically explained a very complicated syndrome with amazing clarity. Scientists and medical doctors are good at what they do, but they are not really good at communicating with the public. We need more people like Pajer. I also appreciate that the article ended on a positive note. Keep up the outstanding work!

Thank you for the excellent interview with Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley [“Congress Has Reduced Our Staff to a 25-Year Low,” Your Money]. For someone who has only been at his post for a short time, Commissioner O’Malley exhibited a clear, in-depth understanding of the importance of Social Security to those of us who enjoy its benefits, and the intricacies of this complex bureaucracy. He didn’t try to evade discussions of potential and current problems, such as staffing and solvency. Rather, he tackled these issues head-on. I came away encouraged about the future of the program. Under O’Malley’s leadership, the Social Security Administration is in good hands.

“Great Ways to Save: Continuing Education” [Your Money] recommended auditing college courses. I did just that. I audited chemistry, physics, geology and other courses at Miami University Middletown (Ohio) for free. The professors were second to none, and my participation provided the education requirements I needed to maintain my engineer’s license in Ohio.