Other countries have tried (and are still trying) that with little success and a lot of collateral damage.

Disclaimer so I don't sound like a troll: I figure I had what appeared to be "long COVID". I got COVID in March 2020 and within 24 hours, went from very highly cardio fit to perma-tired with what felt like half the lung capacity[1] that, long story short, lasted almost a year and required a significant amount of self-rehabilitation[2] efforts on my part to fix. I seem to be doing mostly fine now.

Now...

I try not to get into discussions about COVID with people, because it's so fraught with politics and misinformation, but when I do it seems like most people I engage with on the topic of COVID claim they have long COVID. Hell, I try not to mention my own "long COVID" experience, but when I do, people are dubious about my claims.

So, how do you quantify those who are affected versus those who've just been inactive during the pandemic and are really out of shape?

  > Shifting our framing of healthcare from a source of profit, to a vital part of our national security, might not be a horrible idea either. 

This. Yes. 1000%. Treat Climate Change as a national security problem, too. Because it is.

1. Fluid, apparently, because I kept coughing that up for the next 8 months or so. Eventually, it cleared.

2. Very gradual cardio starting with quarter mile walks, pathetically enough. Also, deep breathing and diaphragm exercises.