#science is broken - a thread: since the pandemic began we have been at the forefront of advocacy and science for #LongCovid/ #PASC. In Nov 2020, we submitted a novel dataset to @PLOSONE. Since then, they have held our manuscript hostage making us wait months between reviews (1/3)

today, we have withdrawn our manuscript from @PLOSONE because we refused to budge on reporting that many #LongCovid patients could also be PCR/antibody negative. Pressuring scientists not to count these patients will create disparities in health. It is unethical and foolish (2/3)

You can read our withdrawn manuscript on @medrxivpreprint (pinned tweet). In the meantime, we will not stop advocating for our patients and we will continue to report #LongCovid science in a way that is responsible, ethical and inclusive (3/3).

Since this thread is getting some attention, let’s be clear: By @PLOSONE reviewers asking us to exclude PRC/AB -ve #LongCovid participants, it actually means that they’re asking us to disproportionately exclude historically underrepresented minorities from our data set. (4/n)

One @PLOSONE reviewer actually had the nerve to say that "the USA is wealthy enough that everyone who wants a test can get a test" - if you have that level of a fundamental misunderstanding of health science what on earth are you doing reviewing my manuscript?? (5/n)

We will no longer send any of our science to journals that urge us to exclude the populations that have been hardest hit and least accommodated by the system throughout this pandemic. Not a good look for humanity or #scicomm. Time for a new model, because this one is broke