The Alberta government has ordered Alberta Health Services (AHS) to limit information about the benefits and effectiveness of vaccines, says an article in the Globe and Mail, information that Radio-Canada has not been able to independently verify.
Following a request for information, the newspaper obtained internal documents about exchanges between officials from the provincial government and the AHS.
The government also reportedly asked AHS to remove the terms “flu” and “COVID-19” from advertising for vaccination campaigns.
On the issue of waiving the two terms, provincial premier Danielle Smith reiterated at a news conference Thursday afternoon that the government doesn't want to just focus on the flu and COVID-19.
During this respiratory virus season, we want to make sure people know they need to get vaccinated. There are vaccines for RSV, COVID-19 and flu.
“I don’t know,” says Danielle Smith
According to Danielle Smith, it is not her responsibility to make an example by disclosing her vaccination status. Private medical decisions should remain private […] I think that's why we have doctors who give advice.
Asked about the government's next course of action, Ms. Smith quoted a passage from a press release dated October 10, 2023.
Eligible Albertans can make appointments for flu and COVID-19 vaccines at an AHS clinic or pharmacy by contacting community health clinics directly, she said.
In the press release in question, we can read a quote from Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange indicating that staying up to date on your vaccinations is a great way to protect yourself from the upcoming respiratory disease season.
According to the province's website, Alberta's flu vaccination rate is 22%, the lowest since 2011. When asked to explain why that is, the premier said, “I don't know.”
Danielle Smith has spoken out against vaccinations several times in the past. In October 2022, it found in particular that people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 face the most discrimination. She later indicated that she did not want to trivialize discrimination against other communities.
Danielle Smith also urged companies and organizations that require vaccination to reconsider their policies. In September of this year, she refused to say whether she would get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.
In May 2023, the Prime Minister was seen in a video released by the New Democratic Party (NDP) making comments linking vaccinated people to supporters of tyrants, particularly referring to Adolf Hitler.
Never seen it!
Given this information, public health experts condemn the government's approach to the vaccination issue.
For me this is unheard of! Historically, there has been talk of a flu vaccination campaign for decades […] and it was directly called “the influenza virus.” This should encourage people to get vaccinated, says Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Center.
So telling people, somewhat incoherently, to get vaccinated without saying what and why, to me, that's not public health.
The same goes for James Talbot, a professor at the University of Alberta and former chief medical health officer of Alberta. For him, the government's vaccination strategy is a scandal.
In fact, trying to encourage people to get vaccinated without naming the vaccine is not only outrageous but idiotic. And telling Alberta Health Services they need to take away the benefits of the vaccine makes this campaign they are running a waste of money.
This is a complete lack of leadership.
Tim Caufield, a public health professor at the University of Alberta, says the government's language is problematic.
The public health message must be clear and based on science. “I fear the government is moving away from this,” he said.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Adriana LaGrange said getting vaccinated was a personal decision.
However, for Doctor Quentin Durand-Moreau, professor at the University of Alberta, this statement is not true: by definition, vaccination is not an individual decision, but a group decision by the company. We all agree that we take it upon ourselves to get vaccinated for the good of the group.