BUT THE SCIENCE WAS SETTLED: Risks of long COVID have been ‘distorted’ due to ‘flawed research’: study.

Scientists from the US, UK and Denmark are pointing to overly broad definitions and a lack of comparison groups, among other factors in studies looking at the incidence, prevalence and control of long COVID for the distortion.

The paper, published Monday in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, investigates the working definitions of the condition provided by multiple global health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the UK National Institute for Health.

None of the definitions required a “causal link” between the virus and a range of symptoms.

The “flaws” have led to consequences such as increased public anxiety, misdiagnoses, increased health-care spending and a “diversion of funds” from those who are actually suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19, researchers suggest.

Exit quote: “Researchers argue that the umbrella term ‘long COVID’ should be replaced by different terms for the specific long-term effects.”