Jasmine Laws

Health

My Chronic Illness Story

I've written a memoir about my long Covid journey, which was chosen as one of two winners for The Letter Review's Unpublished Book prize in 2025 in the January to March competition. You can see a number of articles I've written about my story here, alongside an opening extract of my book and an interview I did with The Letter Review.

The Letter Review - •

Writers’ Insight: Interview with Jasmine Laws, Winner of The Letter Review Prize for Books - The Letter Review

Just writing, and discovering how your own voice sounds on a page, is so important, and anything can be tidied with various rounds of editing later.


When it comes to the writing I do as a journalist, my process is always very structured, as there isn’t much time to waste with frequent deadlines. However, when it came to my book, the process was somewhat erratic. As I was continuing to live the story while I was trying to write it, a lot of the process involved me just venting onto the page w...
The Letter Review - •

What Covid-19 Taught Me – New Book Extract by Jasmine Laws - The Letter Review

The last time we all got stomach cramp from laughing so hard over a game of charades as we gave up on getting film titles exactly right and went for mildly similar-sounding syllables, until eventually the titles were so far off the real thing it was a hysterical shambles. It was agony to think I would never again be hugged by my mum or dad, feeling the love and support they have never stopped showing me, no matter how much of an infuriating teenager I could be.


Winner of The Letter Review Pri...
Chronic Links •

Meet Jasmine: the Journalist Who Found Strength and Answers in the Struggle with Long COVID

Who are you? What is your diagnosis? When did it start? (½ sentence only)I was diagnosed with Long Covid in 2021, and then ME/CFS in 2024, after my health deteriorated following a Covid-19 infection in 2020.What were/are your symptoms?Over the years, I’ve experienced all of these symptoms, but did not necessarily have them all at once, and some have since improved:Tell us about your journeyI tested positive with Covid-19 in 2020 at the age of 19 and my health has never been the same since - I ha...
Metro •

It's been 2 years since my positive test, yet I'm still living with long Covid

My life has been humbled by a single word in a text message: positive.  
 I caught Covid-19 in October 2020 at 19 years old.
While working as a Freshers Representative for Durham University in my second year, I came down with a sore throat and persistent cough, so I took a PCR test. I was living in a seven-person student house.
This was before vaccines were rolled out, or any kind of group immunity.  
At first, I naively assumed my youth would protect me from the worst of the illness. But soon,...

News Articles

Here are a number of articles I've written over the years on health and chronic illness.

Newsweek •

Study finds genetics could cause this chronic condition

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Emerging treatment could 'significantly improve' this chronic condition

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Bee venom could help cure a type of cancer

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

'Disabling' chronic illness in children not taken seriously: Experts

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Cancer vaccine breakthrough: What we know about "exciting" early data

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Common virus found to increase cancer risk

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Experts warn of spreading tick bite disease

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Birth control pill classified carcinogenic: what we know

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Why are so many children getting long COVID?

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Managing PoTS: Tips for living with the chronic illness affecting millions

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Simple flexibility test may reveal hidden respiratory risk

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

What to eat when you're living with long Covid

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

How this simple routine could improve immune function over time

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

The hidden home hazard that could be making you sick

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

What could be behind your hay fever and allergies

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
Newsweek •

Map shows US states with highest levels of Long COVID

Jasmine Laws is a US News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K. Her focus is reporting on health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, but she also writes about U.S. politics, crime and global affairs. Jasmine joined Newsweek in 2024 from News UK and had previously written for the Metro, Byline Times, The Human Perspective magazine and The Express. She has previously extensively covered stories within the U.K. art industry, human rights, health, and human trafficking. She was one of t...
South West Londoner •

The potential reason your Long Covid symptoms aren’t shifting

Research shows that Long Covid sufferers could find relief from symptoms by adopting the mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) treatment plan.


It is estimated that 17% of the population have MCAS and there is significant similarity between the two conditions. 


This would mean that for some battling Long Covid, they could be dealing with a flare up of undiagnosed MCAS symptoms, which can be controlled with an established treatment plan.


Leading research on the connection between the two,...
South West Londoner •

How a history of trauma could increase the risk of Long Covid

People who have experienced multiple traumatic events are more than five times more likely to develop Long Covid, a study has found.


The study on medRxiv found that those having experienced two or more traumatic events in the past were 5.6 times more likely to manifest Long Covid, with childhood trauma indicated as potentially escalating the risk.


The European Respiratory Journal found that 42% of patients with acute Covid-19 infection were diagnosed with depression, while 96% had symptom...

Follow Me