The publisher of some of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals is investigating a study claiming that Covid vaccines have killed up to 280,000 people in the US.
The bombshell estimate has since been peddled around the world by anti-vaxx groups, who used “the truth” as ammunition to push for an urgent suspension of rollout around the world.
It was also shared by the likes of Jordan Peterson, a Canadian psychologist who has voiced discredited views online.
Springer Nature told Web that it has now launched an investigation into the study, which was published in one of its subsidiary journals.
The study was also shared by the likes of Jordan Peterson, a Canadian psychologist who has expressed discredited views online
The study, published this week in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, was authored by a Michigan State University economist. Professor Mark Skidmore, who has published a number of critical articles on Covid vaccination on his personal blog, used an online survey of 2,840 people conducted in December 2021 to give his estimate of Covid vaccine-related deaths in the US to do
Respondents to the survey were asked if they know anyone who has experienced a serious health reaction after receiving a Covid vaccine. Of the 612 people (22 percent) who said so, 57 people (2 percent) said they knew someone who died as a result
“Once the journal’s investigation is complete and we have the information necessary to make an informed decision, we will proceed with the response that is most appropriate and provides clarity to our readers,” it said.
“This may include taking editorial action.”
The study, published this week in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, was authored by a Michigan State University economist.
Professor Mark Skidmore, who has published a number of critical articles on Covid vaccination on his personal blog, used an online survey of 2,840 people conducted in December 2021 to give his estimate of Covid vaccine-related deaths in the US to do.
Funding for the survey was provided by Catherine Austin Fitts.
A woman of the same name — the former assistant secretary for housing and urban development under President George HW Bush — recorded a lengthy interview as part of the 2021 documentary Planet Lockdown.
The 90-minute video contains a series of unsubstantiated claims about the Covid vaccination program and the cause of the pandemic.
Respondents to the survey were asked if they know anyone who has experienced a serious health reaction after receiving a Covid vaccine.
Of the 612 people (22 percent) who said so, 57 people (2 percent) said they knew someone who died as a result.
These included deaths from heart attack, stroke, or blood clots.
Professor Skidmore then used the data to create a vaccine mortality rate and extrapolated that data to the entire US population that received Covid vaccines in the first year of use.
Professor Skidmore wrote in the journal: “The total number of deaths from Covid vaccination may be as high as 278,000.”
However, he claimed that according to his calculations, the real death toll could be closer to the 330,000 mark.
And Professor Skidmore, who is listed by his university as an expert on finance and the economics of natural disasters, said the figure is “after eliminating deaths that may have occurred unrelated to vaccination”.
US health officials have reviewed nine deaths reported via VAERs that are “causally linked” to Covid vaccines after reviewing information including death certificates and autopsy and medical records
Experts raised concerns about the methodology of the study.
dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told Web: “Any study with a self-selected cohort of participants like this automatically has a flaw in its methodology.
“They can never say they pick a random selection of people, nor one that uses dispassionate participants. Put simply, people can lie to skew results.
“There is nothing wrong with an academic journal publishing the work of an economist, but we should always be aware of the limitations of any study and just because it has been accepted by an academic journal does not automatically mean that it is correct. Editors can make mistakes too.”
He added: “It is the journals’ responsibility to ensure that what they publish is of interest to the reader and whether the editors feel that a report is sufficiently rigorous and the conclusions justified.
“Retracting a release after release usually only occurs if a serious bug is discovered after release or if someone has acted fraudulently.
“For me, the biggest problem with this paper is that it does not adequately highlight its own potential shortcomings, and it was the editors’ job to insist that they be included before authorizing publication.”
US health officials said they received 18,769 death reports related to a Covid vaccine, about 0.0028 percent of the 667 million doses administered.
These reports were generated through the United States’ Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and do not conclusively imply that a death is actually vaccine linked as it could be a coincidence.
All Americans are encouraged to report any health problems they notice after vaccination, even if they are unsure whether the vaccination was to blame.
US health officials have reviewed nine deaths reported via VAERs that are “causally linked” to Covid vaccines after reviewing information including death certificates and autopsy and medical records.
The UK has a similar reporting mechanism, known as the Yellow Card Scheme, which has registered around 475,000 adverse events with Covid vaccines.
Reports of bloating, yawning and crying have been recorded from vaccinated recipients. But that doesn’t mean the jabs are to blame.
As part of the UK surveillance system, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 19 UK reports of “suspected fatal adverse drug reactions” linked to the Covid-Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent vaccine and 32 reports for the Covid bivalent vaccine Moderna.
No fatal outcomes have been reported following the Novavax Covid vaccine.
The MHRA does not release the exact number of deaths related to the AstraZeneca vaccine, which unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines does not contain mRNA.
A 2022 study led by scientists from Imperial College London suggests that in the first year since countries started rolling out vaccinations, nearly 20 million lives have been saved by Covid vaccines, most of them in wealthy ones nations
Several real studies have repeatedly shown that Covid vaccines are safe and have saved lives in the pandemic.
However, as with any drug, drug, and procedure, there are risks.
People can be allergic to vaccine components and develop a rare but dangerous heart infection called myocarditis.
Some have even died from blood clots, a rare complication of AstraZeneca’s vaccination, which was eventually restricted to those over 40. The side effect was so rare that it went undetected in the initial studies involving tens of thousands of people.
But opponents of vaccination claim vaccine deaths have also been underreported by global health authorities and masked as a mysterious spike in excess deaths. Such tolls have led to calls for jab rollouts to be suspended.
Professor Skidmore himself said that the problems reported by survey participants, including heart attacks and strokes, “are consistent with Pfizer’s documentation on the potential risks of the Covid vaccine”.
Health chiefs have repeatedly dismissed fears that mRNA injections could be behind every spike in heart problems.
The latest official data released earlier this week shows that the US has suffered nearly 300,000 more than usual deaths that cannot be attributed to Covid since the pandemic began.
Leading experts believe this is largely due to increases in deaths from cancer, heart disease, drug overdoses and firearms during the pandemic. However, a full analysis by the CDC is likely weeks away.
Excessive deaths across England have been on the rise since the summer but have skyrocketed in recent weeks and are a fifth above expected levels. In the first full week of January alone, almost 3,000 more people died than usual.
Experts have blamed the NHS crisis – which has seen record ambulance and emergency room waits – as well as a brutal flu outbreak and the freezing temperatures recorded in December.
Charities, including the British Heart Foundation, have warned that “significant and widespread interruptions in heart care services” are responsible for the excessive deaths associated with coronary artery disease.