Dr. John Lambert:

This is a totally separate issue, but it has been a long-term problem. Some of the patients have chronic fatigue syndrome, ME, as part of their long Covid. For decades, so many patients have been told that there is nothing wrong with them and to just exercise more. In some communities, both in the general public and the medical community, there is a belief that these patients are making up their illnesses and that if they try harder and be mindful, they will get better. However, the reality is that most of the patients I took care of are healthcare workers who never missed a day of work in their lives. They never missed a day of work in the ICU and worked long shifts yet here they are, coming down with Covid from an infection they caught in the hospital. Two years later, they have done everything they possibly can, including private care, to get help and they are basically told that there is nothing wrong with them and that they should just exercise more and be mindful. That does not work for this condition. PET scans of long Covid patients for research studies have shown that there is brain inflammation. Patients are not making this up. It is real. It is all in their head; there is damage to the brain and that is where the focus should be. There should be an education campaign for employers, occupational health doctors and businesses to support these patients because they are not making up the problem.