(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Watchdog group Retraction Watch reported that at least 330 medical research papers related to COVID-19 faced retraction due to ethical or scientific shortcomings since the pandemic began.
According to the Daily Caller, many of the papers published via smaller, less influential outlets retracted their articles; however, publications such as the Lancet and Science have also retracted peer reviewed studies.
The papers covered everything from alternative COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine—both of which many scientists lambasted as ineffective or even dangerous—to alternatives to the vaccine.
Researchers also covered false COVID side effects in many of the articles. One article from the University of Manchester claimed hearing loss was a side effect of the virus. The researchers behind the article backtracked their original assertions.
“There was an urgent need for this carefully conducted clinical and diagnostic study to investigate the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the auditory system,” said Professor of audiology at University of Manchester, Kevin Munro. “Many previous studies were published rapidly during the pandemic but lacked good scientific rigor.”
Another retracted paper studied the spread of the Omicron variant in South Africa. Researchers quickly pulled the study after social media users pointed out some flaws in the methodology.
Several of the retractions had to do with social science. One retracted paper that attempted to study the spread of vaccine “misinformation” on social media had an inadequate sample size and insufficient search terms.
“[They] will, of course, be withdrawn when it is found that ethical guidelines have been breached,” said Gunnveig Grødeland, a senior researcher at the Institute of Immunology at the University of Oslo.
Though many of the papers cut against the elite-approved COVID narrative, one paper faced retraction for claiming the majority of COVID deaths were due to other preexisting conditions.
Studies about the effectiveness of masking and other COVID-related control efforts pushed by government officials are under intense scrutiny. Some second looks even revealed that masking and other measures put people in more danger than was necessary.
