Thursday, 22 April 2021

Cutting Through the Haze

A 'scientific' paper, published in the European Respiratory Journal, claiming that current smokers are protected from Covid-19 infections, has been retracted (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/22/scientific-paper-claiming-smokers-less-likely-to-acquire-covid-retracted-over-tobacco-industry-links). Retraction is a process where a journal 'disowns' one of its papers. The paper claimed that current smokers were 23% less likely to be diagnosed with a Covid-19 infection than were non-smokers. The publication was initially retracted, because 2 of its authors failed to divulge their financial links to the tobacco industry. An independent analysis of their data also revealed biases and knowledge gaps by the authors. A protective effect of smoking on Covid-19 infections was never likely, as it impairs lung function. It's amazing what sometimes gets published.
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