Controversial Covid-19 study retracted over links to vaccine misinformation

The study, published in the British journal BMJ Public Health in 2024, was withdrawn “on the grounds of misinformation on causes of death and limited original work conducted by the authors”, the BMJ Group said this week.

The paper suggested that excess mortality – the number of deaths above what would normally be expected – remained unusually high in Western countries even after the peak of the Covid-19 crisis had passed.

It was subsequently cited in numerous anti-vaccine articles and social media posts claiming the study had directly linked the continued excess deaths to Covid-19 vaccinations.

The study itself did not explicitly make that connection.

However, its authors concluded that “excess mortality has remained high in the Western World for three consecutive years, despite the implementation of containment measures and Covid-19 vaccines”.

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Criticism over interpretation

That wording prompted widespread criticism from other researchers, who argued that it risked encouraging unsupported claims about vaccine safety.

Some accused the authors of providing ammunition for anti-vaccine narratives, despite the absence of evidence in the study showing that vaccinations were responsible for the excess deaths.

Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to have saved millions of lives since their rollout began in late 2020, particularly by reducing the risk of severe illness and death.

The methodology used by the study to calculate excess deaths was also questioned by researchers.

The BMJ Group, which also publishes the British Medical Journal, had previously announced that it was investigating the paper following concerns over its findings and presentation.

The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in the Netherlands, where three of the study's four authors were affiliated, also launched its own investigation.

An expression of concern was issued about the paper in 2024 while the reviews were under way.

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Full retraction

Following its investigation, the BMJ Group decided to fully retract the study – one of the most serious steps a scientific publisher can take when concerns arise over the reliability or interpretation of published research.

“The institution and two of the four authors of the research support the decision to retract the work,” the publisher said.

The controversy surrounding the paper highlighted how research into Covid-19 mortality and vaccination has remained highly sensitive, particularly when findings are picked up and amplified online.

While the study did not claim that Covid-19 vaccines caused the excess deaths it identified, critics said its wording left room for that interpretation and allowed its conclusions to be used in misleading ways.

The BMJ Group's decision means the paper has now been formally withdrawn from the scientific record.

(with newswires)