Major COVID study that fueled vaccine skepticism retracted over ‘misinformation’
This study was originally published in 2024 and was criticized as being misleading by other scientists at the time
A study published in 2024, which fueled vaccine skepticism by suggesting millions may have died due to COVID vaccines, has been retracted due to misinformation and research issues. BMJ Public Health originally published the article in May 2024, analyzing data from 47 Western countries and concluding there were over three million excess deaths between 2020 and 2022.
The study did not directly link vaccines and lockdown measures to the deaths, but authors noted COVID vaccines might have caused adverse events. Some vaccine skeptics and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. used the findings as evidence of flawed science and policies. The BMJ retracted the study, stating the discussion of causes of mortality was imbalanced, lacked rigor, and contained misinformation.
The Dutch Princess Maxima Center, where three co-authors worked, also investigated the paper's quality, concluding it paid excessive attention to the possibility of COVID-19 containment measures and vaccination causing excess mortality, despite the fact that such excess mortality was already known. The retraction notice further alleged the study cherry-picked data and ignored opposing data.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
