Retracted: Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis
Authors: Baruch Vainshelboim
Journal: Medical Hypotheses (2021)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Efficacy; Health; Physiology; Psychology; SARS-CoV-2
Affiliations: Cardiology Division, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System/Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States. Electronic address: .

Abstract:  Many countries across the globe utilized medical and non-medical facemasks as non-pharmaceutical intervention for reducing the transmission and infectivity of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Although, scientific evidence supporting facemasks' efficacy is lacking, adverse physiological, psychological and health effects are established. Is has been hypothesized that facemasks have compromised safety and efficacy profile and should be avoided from use. The current article comprehensively summarizes scientific evidences with respect to wearing facemasks in the COVID-19 era, providing prosper information for public health and decisions making. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This paper cites sources that are not appropriate for the claims made. For example, Vainshelboim says that  Interestingly, 99% of the detected cases with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or have mild condition, which contradicts with the virus name (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) [4]. Reference 4 is [this PDF from a regional wastewater utility in Pennsylvania] . See screenshots. I have sent my concerns to Elsevier, which publishes the Medical Hypotheses journal this paper appears in. ![file] ![file] ![file] ![file] , 
  Reference 4 is this PDF from a regional wastewater utility in Pennsylvania - no it s not. The search link is added automatically by the journal but Worldometer isn t included in Google Scholar so it doesn t appear in the search results. The result you clicked on is something completely different that only matches the keywords by coincidence. (For clarity, I m not the author of the paper) , 
 The paper s landing page has been archived here: https: archive.is ZkfA0 The author has listed their affiliation as  Cardiology Division, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States ![file] According to this Associated Press Fact Check page, this affiliation appears to be false: https: apnews.com article fact-checking-629043235973  (....) *a representative for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System told the AP in an email that Vainshelboim does not work there.* *u201cI can confirm this person is not one of our physicians,u201d wrote Michael Hill-Jackson, a public affairs specialist with the system. u201cI do not see him in our system and our Cardiology team has never heard of him.u201d* *Vainshelboim also does not work for Stanford, according to Julie Greicius, senior director of external communications for the universityu2019s medical school.* *u201cStanford University has never employed Baruch Vainshelboim,u201d Greicius wrote in an email to the AP. u201cSeveral years ago (2015), he was a visiting scholar at Stanford for a year, on matters unrelated to this paper.u201d* *Vainshelboim, who lists himself on LinkedIn as a clinical exercise physiologist and does not list any current employment, did not respond to a request for comment. * , 
 https: apnews.com article fact-checking-629043235973 (published on 20 April 2021): , 
 See also https: respectfulinsolence.com 2021 04 21 medical-hypotheses-is-back-and-its-pushing-antimask-disinformation , 
 Copy pasted from https: retractionwatch.com 2021 04 26 elsevier-journal-to-retract-widely-debunked-masks-study-whose-author-claimed-a-stanford-affiliation :  A study that warned of the perils of using face masks as a precaution against contracting Covid-19 appears slated for retraction, Retraction Watch has learned. , 
 Copy pasted from https: retractionwatch.com 2021 04 29 mask-study-was-misleading-and-misquotes-citations-says-elsevier :  Three days after we reported that Elsevier would be retracting a paper about COVID-19 and masks whose author claimed a false affiliation with Stanford, the publisher tells us that the u201cpaper is misleading,u201d u201cmisquotes and selectively cites published papers,u201d and that the data in one table is u201cunverified.u201d (......). Here is Elsevieru2019s statement in full:  Medical Hypotheses serves as a forum for innovative and often disruptive ideas in medicine and related biomedical sciences. However, the journalu2019s strict editorial policy is not to publish misleading or inaccurate citations to advance any hypotheses. The Editorial Committee concluded that this paper is misleading in the below aspects and has therefore decided to retract the article: -A broader review of existing scientific evidence clearly shows that approved masks with correct certification, and worn in compliance with guidelines, are an effective prevention of COVID-19 transmission. u2013 The manuscript misquotes and selectively cites published papers. References #16, 17 ,25 and 26 are all misquoted. -Table 1. Physiological and Psychological Effects of Wearing Facemask and Their Potential Health Consequences, generated by the author. All data in the table is unverified, and there are several speculative statements. -The author submitted that he is currently affiliated to Stanford University, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System. However, both institutions have confirmed that Dr. Vainshelboim ended his connection with them in 2016. A subsequent internal investigation by the Editor-in-Chief and the Publisher determined that this article was externally peer reviewed prior to publication but not with the journalu2019s customary standards of rigor. The journal has re-designed its editorial and review workflow to ensure that this will not happen again in future and would like to apologize to the readers of The Journal for difficulties this issue has caused. Weu2019ve followed up to ask how the peer review was not done u201cwith the journalu2019s customary standards of rigor,u201d what went wrong, and what exact changes the journal is making to u201censure that this will not happen again in future.u201d Weu2019ll update with anything we learn. ,