A doctor accused of being at the centre of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Campbellton region in May that claimed two lives, infected dozens and forced that northern part of New Brunswick back into the orange phase of recovery is facing a charge under the provincial Emergency Measures Act.
Dr. Jean Robert Ngola has been issued an appearance notice to attend Campbellton provincial court on Oct. 26 under Section 24(1)(b) of the act for alleged failure to comply with a direction, order or requirement, his lawyer Joël Etienne confirmed to CBC on Sunday.
It stems from an RCMP investigation following a complaint filed by the provincial government and the Vitalité Health Network on May 30 “related to an individual who may have violated the mandatory order under the current Emergency Measures Act by travelling outside of N.B., and not following the guidelines of self-isolating upon their return,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said in an emailed statement.
“Because no charges have been laid at this time, we are not able to confirm the name of the man,” said Rogers-Marsh, identifying him only as a 50-year-old from Campbellton.
Ngola, who is also known as Jean Robert Ngola Monzinga and as Ngola Monzinga, previously identified himself to Radio-Canada’s program La Matinale as the medical professional who travelled overnight to Quebec to retrieve his four-year-old daughter because her mother had to travel to Africa for a funeral.
After his return to Campbellton, a city of about 6,800, he went back to work at the Campbellton Regional Hospital the next day. He didn’t self-isolate for 14 days, he said during the June 2 interview.
Ngola’s trip was the week of May 10. The COVID-19 outbreak began May 21. A total of 41 people in the Campbellton region became infected, and two of them, who were in their 80s, died.
His lawyer described the charge as “tantamount to a traffic ticket.” Etienne stressed it is not a criminal charge under the Criminal Code of Canada but rather is punishable under the Provincial Offences Procedures Act.
The section carries a fine of between $240 and $10,200 for a first offence.
“In our opinion, wilfully, on what is believed to be at the 11th hour of the announcement of a provincial election, the authorities of New Brunswick are misleading the public and media about the nature of the outcome of the police investigation relating to Dr. Ngola,” said Etienne.
“Is this being done as a political tactic ahead of the provincial election in order to try to promote and favour Premier [Blaine] Higgs?”
Plans to sue province, Vitalité
Etienne contends Ngola, who is from Congo, is “absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing. … At all times, he conducted himself correctly in fact and in law, with the utmost diligence.”
His defence team, which now includes constitutional lawyer Christian Michaud, who has successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Canada and established victories in minority linguistic rights in New Brunswick, plans to initiate legal proceedings against the provincial government and Vitalité for what Etienne described as “misconduct.”
“The singling out of a racialized medical worker by a premier and his government, the calling out to criminalize a racialized medical worker by a premier and his government, the scapegoating of a racialized medical worker by a premier and his government is tantamount to conduct unprecedented in North American history,” he said. “No other jurisdiction has ever done what New Brunswick has done in these matters.”
Toronto-based lawyer Joël Etienne said Ngola’s defence team has ‘every intention of defending [him] in the court of public opinion, and in the court of law.’ (EME Professional Corp.)
During a May 27 news conference, the premier never publicly named Ngola but blamed what was then a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Campbellton region and a resurgence of the coronavirus in the province on an “irresponsible” medical professional in their 50s, who travelled to Quebec for personal reasons, “was not forthcoming about their reasons for travel upon returning to New Brunswick” and didn’t self-isolate.
“If you ignore the rules, you put your family, your friends and your fellow New Brunswickers at risk,” Higgs said at the time. “Today’s case is evidence of that.”
Information about the case was passed along to the RCMP to determine exactly what took place and whether charges were warranted, Higgs told reporters.
The province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell had described the outbreak as “completely preventable.”
When Premier Blaine Higgs announced the confirmed COVID-19 case of the medical professional on May 27, he said the Campbellton region was now at a higher risk ‘due to the actions of one irresponsible individual.’ (Government of New Brunswick)
Etienne also alleges Ngola’s privacy was breached by someone within government. Within one hour of being advised by Public Health of his positive COVID-19 test results, Ngola’s identity was “outed” on social media, along with his photo, he said.
“While almost a dozen investigators were combing tooth and nail trying to find blame against the doctor, the same province was not contact-tracing in the Ngola matter, and was not investigating the clear legal breaches of Dr. Ngola’s privacy,” said Etienne. “We will seek remedy.
“The time and manner of initiation is up to us, and the public will be informed.”
Hired racism expert
Meanwhile, the defence has commissioned a renowned North American expert in race relations and systemic racism to investigate and report on “if, and whether racism and systemic racism from the premier, the premier’s office, the Vitalité Health Network and the RCMP were key elements precipitating the abuses of power that resulted in singling out, shaming and scapegoating Dr. Ngola.”
The expert’s findings will be published once completed, said Etienne.
“While sick at home, as a single parent of a four-year-old little girl, [Ngola] experienced the worst face of New Brunswick society. [Ngola] experienced, racism, violence, mercilessness, cruelty and was cast away by a premier, by an employer, by a government and was never treated as he should have been: as a colleague, a friend, a partner — even a fellow citizen,” he said.
“We hold that the doggedness of pursuing provincial offence matters is a propagation of the hate that [Ngola] has so far faced with dignity and stoicism,” Etienne said.
“You cannot be in my profession, and not be a person who believes in hope and redemption — there is always a way back. It is never too late for New Brunswick officials to come to their senses and do the right thing — the ball is in their court.”
Disputes he’s ‘patient zero’
Ngola, who is suspended and unable to work anywhere in the province, disputes being “patient zero” and has previously sought an apology from the premier.
Private investigators hired by his lawyer’s firm found Ngola “could not have been the first patient” and that his trip to Quebec was not the source, according to a letter Etienne wrote to Higgs.
Ngola interacted with only a few people, all of whom subsequently tested negative for COVID-19, Etienne has said.
Several residents and staff at the Manoir de la Vallée long-term care facility in Atholville tested positive for COVID-19 during the outbreak, including the province’s two fatal cases. (Serge Bouchard/Radio-Canada)
Based on the coronavirus’s incubation period of up to two weeks, the senior private investigator concluded Ngola did not carry the virus across the border but rather was infected in New Brunswick by either a patient or a colleague.
Etienne has called the premier’s “rushed judgment” about Ngola’s actions and “disparaging comments” about him “grossly unfair.”
Ngola has suffered a “barrage of threats … online racial attacks, local harassment and racial slurs” since Higgs announced the case and has had to seek police protection because he fears for his safety and that of his daughter, Etienne has said.
Higgs has stood by his comments.
On June 11, he said he’s bound by privacy rules and limited in what he can say.
“But I am quite comfortable in the position that I’ve taken, how I’ve spoken about it and the reality of how this situation developed. And if the facts are all on the table, I am sure that others will be clear as well.”
On July 8, Higgs reiterated that his position hadn’t changed.
“The comments I made previously, I stand behind those comments,” he told reporters. “I don’t intend to withdraw them.”
The RCMP issued the notice to appear in court on July 8.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
