Alberta doctors, Nenshi blast province’s COVID-19 task force report

A government-appointed panel reviewing Alberta’s response to COVID-19 is calling for a halt to using vaccines, among other recommendations, in a report that critics are calling anti-science.

Stopping vaccines is one of a laundry list of recommendations in the 269-page report that criticizes the use of lockdowns, masks, and suggests letting doctors prescribe alternative treatments like ivermectin.

The task force encourages the province to stop administering COVID-19 vaccines on children and teens “without the full disclosure of their potential risks.”

The panel, promised by Premier Danielle Smith after she won the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership race, also highlights the “potential harms” of masking, like self-contamination and a false sense of security.

It also claims there is weak evidence showing continuous masking is effective in preventing respiratory illness, including COVID-19.

“Alberta should acknowledge the absence of evidence showing continuous masking provides protection against respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, and highlight the potential harms associated with masking,” the report says.

Task force chair, Dr. Gary Davidson, has been criticized in the past for claiming hospital admission numbers were manipulated to justify the need for public health restrictions at the height of the pandemic.

He has also promoted ivermectin as an effective treatment for COVID-19.

“Studies show promising results for ivermectin in terms of viral clearance and reduced hospitalization and death rates,” the report says, in a chapter examining “therapeutics” like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, fluvoxamine, colchicine, monoclonal antibodies, and vitamin D3.

AMA, Nenshi blast report as ‘shocking’ and ‘biased’

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) took aim at the report, saying it is biased and deficient.

“This report is anti-science and anti-evidence. It advances misinformation,” president Dr. Shelley Duggan said in a statement. “It speaks against the broadest, and most diligent, international scientific collaboration and consensus in history.”

She adds that the report sows distrust and criticizes proven preventative health measures while advancing fringe approaches.

“It makes recommendations for the future that have real potential to caused harm,” Duggan said.

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is accusing Smith and the UCP of pandering to “extremists,” and called the report “shocking.”

“We spent $2 million to throw taxpayers money at every anti-vax extremist around the world,” he says. “This is an authoritarian document and hopefully the premier doesn’t believe in any of it.”

He says Smith should tell Albertans whether she actually believes in what the report recommends.

Previous backlash for Davidson appointment

The premier previously faced backlash for the appointment of Davidson, the former head of emergency medicine for the central zone and chief of the emergency department at Red Deer Regional Hospital.

The premier said at the time Davidson was selected to lead the data review because she wanted to hear a range of viewpoints, including from those “shouted down in the public sphere.”

Other recommendations include whistleblower legislation to protect doctors who speak publicly about policies from regulatory bodies, and barring organizations from prosecuting healthcare workers who promote alternative medical treatments.

A spokesperson from Alberta’s ministry of health says it is reviewing the panel’s report.

This is the second third-party report on COVID-19 commissoned by the province in recent years.

Former Reform Party leader Preston Manning filed a report in 2023 reviewing Alberta’s COVID experience through the lens of improving laws and regulations governing future pandemics.

Manning’s report recommended the province consider “alternative scientific narratives” as part of a “balanced response” in future crises.

With files from The Canadian Press