So it turns out that the dangers of contracting a phantom long-term ailment, one that encompasses every known symptom from headaches to fatigue, might have been slightly overstated — total, total shocker, I know:

The risks of developing long Covid appear to have been exaggerated by flawed research, academics have suggested. …

Those who have long Covid, also known as post-acute sequelae of Covid-19 (PASC), report fatigue, brain fog, chest pain and shortness of breath.

However, analysis from researchers in the UK, Denmark and the US suggests "major flaws" in the body of literature on the condition have probably exaggerated the true threat of developing it.

The literature in question, the scientists found, was tainted by "overly broad definitions, lack of control groups, inappropriate control groups, and other methodological flaws." What that means in layman's terms, of course, is that medical authorities just kinda assigned "long COVID" to any symptom and any patient they could get their hands on. Lots of headaches? You have long COVID.

Tired all the time? Long COVID.

Forgetting stuff now and then? Yup, long COVID! They handed the diagnoses out like candy.

Overall, this willy-nilly approach has resulted in "more than 200 symptoms being associated with the condition termed long Covid."

Two hundred! That can cover anything from a runny nose to a backache.

The scientists, meanwhile, are calling for "better case definitions" and "more stringent" criteria to determine what, exactly, this purported long-term condition actually is.

Someone please forward this to Taylor Lorenz!

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