Health
Ontario doctor cautioned by regulators for spreading COVID-19 misinformation – Global News
An Ontario doctor has been cautioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and lockdowns that could put the public at risk.
Dr. Kulvinder Gill was issued three cautions for “inappropriate” and “unprofessional” statements she posted on social media claiming that neither lockdowns nor vaccines were necessary.
On Twitter, the Brampton doctor had claimed there was “absolutely no medical or scientific reason for this prolonged, harmful and illogical lockdown,” the college wrote in its decision.
She had also written that “we don’t need a vaccine,” and shared a Tweet claiming that contact tracing, testing and isolation were “ineffective, naive & counter-productive against COVID-19.”
The college’s complaints committee ruled that the comments, posted last year, were factually incorrect and likely to be taken seriously by non-medical members of the public because she is a physician.
Gill was cautioned for “lack of professionalism and failure to exercise caution in her posts on social media, which is irresponsible behaviour for a member of the profession and presents a possible risk to public health.”
The first of their type, the cautions come as Canada’s doctors are growing increasingly concerned about misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 that have become pervasive online.
A Global News investigation found that an assortment of far-right, anti-government and anti-vaccine groups, as well as China, Russia and Iran, have been spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
The Ontario Medical Association said in a statement responding to the cautions that it was important to use “science and proven public health measures as the basis for decisions on how to curb the pandemic, despite the alarming amount of misinformation still being spread about COVID-19.”
In its decisions, the college said that while it was valid to point out that lockdowns had drawbacks, and to question if they were working or whether the costs outweighed the benefits, Gill had gone beyond that.
“She stated unequivocally and without providing any evidence that there is no medical or scientific reason for the lockdown,” the college wrote.
“Her statement does not align with the information coming from public health, and moreover, it is not accurate,” according to the ruling.
Lockdowns in China and South Korea were evidence they reduced the spread of COVID-19, the college wrote.
“For the respondent to state otherwise is misinformed and misleading and furthermore an irresponsible statement to make on social medial during a pandemic,” the decision read.
Gill is the co-founder of the advocacy group Concerned Ontario Doctors. Her Twitter account has more than 56,000 followers. She could not be reached for comment.
Her claim that vaccinations were not needed was also deemed inappropriate by the college, which said vaccines had been tested and approved in Canada and were the best way to end the pandemic.
“While it is possible for a return to ‘normal life’ without vaccinating the public, this is a high-risk strategy and one that could potentially take years to achieve,” the college wrote.
According to the decision, Gill provided no evidence to support the statement that vaccines were not necessary.
“It would be expected and understandable if a certain proportion of the general public who read this statement decided to decline the vaccine with the assurance that they were acting on the guidance of a physician,” the college wrote.
“For this reason, the committee considered it irresponsible, and a potential risk to public health, for the respondent to have made this statement in the middle of a pandemic.”
The college complaints committee additionally took Gill to task for retweeting that contact tracing, testing and isolation were counter-productive, a view it called “indefensible.”
“The committee would expect a certain proportion of the non-medically trained public who read this post to subsequently decide not to follow government and public health rules and recommendations regarding contact tracing, testing and isolation,” the ruling read.
“This could have significant negative consequences for public health. The Respondent’s comments in this regard are irresponsible and careless in the current context and climate.”
While Gill had argued her tweets were taken out of context, the college said that tweets by nature had “limited context.” Nor did the college accept that her tweets were made on a personal account.
“The respondent’s Twitter biography makes it very clear that she is a physician and also identifies her as the leader of a group of physicians, Concerned Ontario Doctors,” it said.
“The respondent’s tweets are accessible by the public. Moreover, members of the public who are not healthcare professionals are likely to attribute significant weight and authority to the respondent’s tweets, given her profession.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Grande Prairie RCMP issued a warning Friday after it was revealed fentanyl linked to a deadly overdose was mixed with a chemical that doesn’t respond to naloxone treatment.
The drugs were initially seized on Feb. 28 after a fatal overdose, and this week, Health Canada reported back to Mounties that the fentanyl had been mixed with Bromazolam, which is a benzodiazepine.
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Mounties say this is the first recorded instance of Bromazolam in Alberta. The drug has previously been linked to nine fatal overdoses in New Brunswick in 2022.
The pills seized in Alberta were oval-shaped and stamped with “20” and “SS,” though Mounties say it can come in other forms.
Naloxone treatment, given in many cases of opioid toxicity, is not effective in reversing the effects of Bromazalam, Mounties said, and therefore, any fentanyl mixed with the benzodiazepine “would see a reduced effectiveness of naloxone, requiring the use of additional doses and may still result in a fatality.”
From January to November of last year, there were 1,706 opioid-related deaths in Alberta, and 57 linked to benzodiazepine, up from 1,375 and 43, respectively, in 2022.
Mounties say officers responded to about 1,100 opioid-related calls for service, last year with a third of those proving fatal. RCMP officers also used naloxone 67 times while in the field, a jump of nearly a third over the previous year.
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Health
CFIA continues surveillance for HPAI in cattle, while sticking with original name for disease – RealAgriculture
The Canada Food Inspection Agency will continue to refer to highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle as HPAI in cattle, and not refer to it as bovine influenza A virus (BIAV), as suggested by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners earlier this month.
Dr. Martin Appelt, senior director for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in the interview below, says at this time Canada will stick with “HPAI in cattle” when referencing the disease that’s been confirmed in dairy cattle in multiple states in the U.S.
The CFIA’s naming policy is consistent with the agency’s U.S. counterparts’, as the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has also said it will continue referring to it as HPAI or H5N1.
Appelt explains how the CFIA is learning from the U.S. experience to-date, and how it is working with veterinarians across Canada to stay vigilant for signs of the disease in dairy and beef cattle.
As of April 19, there has not been a confirmed case of HPAI in cattle in Canada. Appelt says it’s too soon to say if an eventual positive case will significantly restrict animal movement, as is the case with positive poultry cases.
This is a major concern for the cattle industry, as beef cattle especially move north and south across the U.S. border by the thousands. Appelt says that CFIA will address an infection in each species differently in conjunction with how the disease is spread and the threat to neighbouring farms or livestock.
Currently, provincial dairy organizations have advised producers to postpone any non-essential tours of dairy barns, as a precaution, in addition to other biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of cattle contracting HPAI.
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Health
Toronto reports 2 more measles cases. Use our tool to check the spread in Canada – Toronto Star
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Canada has seen a concerning rise in measles cases in the first months of 2024.
By the third week of March, the country had already recorded more than three times the number of cases as all of last year. Canada had just 12 cases of measles in 2023, up from three in 2022.
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