An unprecedented window into how diseases take hold years before symptoms appear

As someone who has seen multiple people close to me, including my wife, struggle with long covid, I can tell you the answer is simply no. Anecdotal, yes, but this shouldn't be an argument.

We are several years in now. These statements are actually pretty hurtful for people who have been through a lot. It's like saying you could beat cancer if you only wanted to, or if you didn't think all those negatives thoughts, you wouldn't be so ill now.

Not only is it suggesting that this misery is in some way 'your own fault', but it also implies that it isn't real, or serious, at least not in the same way other diseases are.

And yes, psychological problems are real too, indeed. But it is not the same. The origin narrative around a disease does in fact matter for people trying to cope with it, and how others see you, for insurance, for politics and medical care. Please be more respectful about it.