Queen Elizabeth II commiserates with hospitalized COVID patients after her own bout with the "horrible" virus

London — Queen Elizabeth II, after her own recent bout with COVID-19, empathized with patients, doctors and nurses at a London hospital last week as she listened to their stories about life on the front lines of the pandemic.   The monarch spoke to patients and staff at the Royal London Hospital during a virtual visit that marked the official dedication of the Queen Elizabeth Unit, a 155-bed critical care facility built in just five weeks at the height of the pandemic. Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19 in February and suffered what Buckingham Palace described as "mild cold-like symptoms.''   "It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn't it?'' she told recovering COVID-19 patient Asef Hussain and his wife, Shamina. "This horrible pandemic."

The queen only returned to public life after fighting off COVID at the end of March, joining other members of her family at a celebration giving thanks for the life of her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, nearly a year after he died at the age of 99.  

The 95-year-old monarch attended the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, ending speculation that she would have to bow out after cutting back on her public appearances following a night spent in a hospital last October, and then the COVID diagnosis in February.   "She has mobility issues. Some days are better than others," royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah told CBS News, adding that the service for Philip may have been the monarch's most important engagement in a decade.