Alberta directed removal of COVID, flu references in fall vaccine campaign, documents show
www.theglobeandmail.com
Documents show the provincial government also instructed the health authority to limit information on the benefits and efficacy of vaccination

The documents, obtained through an access to information request, consist of dozens of pages of communications between officials at Alberta Health, the government ministry, and Alberta Health Services, the provincial health authority. They show that, in addition to ordering AHS to remove references to specific vaccines, the government instructed the health authority to limit information on vaccine benefits and efficacy.

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Public health experts have said these paltry [vaccination] numbers are partly to blame for the fact that Alberta’s hospital wards and emergency department waiting rooms are now overflowing with patients. The Globe and Mail reported last week that some doctors have said the situation is worse than it was during the height of the pandemic.

I don’t know how these things usually work, but it seems like overreach for elected officials to tell public health officers how to do their jobs.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    In one e-mail dated Sept. 28, Chris Bourdeau, communications director for the ministry, asks AHS officials to remove the government’s logo from campaign posters and replace “both influenza and covid with just ‘fall immunizations.’” Then, on Oct. 3, he wrote: “The desire is to not indicate the types of vaccines available, just that they are.”

    Since taking office in October, 2022, she has frequently reiterated her opposition to public health measures, such as vaccine passports, and has vowed to update the Alberta Bill of Rights to protect the unvaccinated.

    Public health experts have said these paltry numbers are partly to blame for the fact that Alberta’s hospital wards and emergency department waiting rooms are now overflowing with patients.

    Charlotte Taillon, press secretary to Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in a statement that AHS and the government collaborate on many initiatives to ensure “consistency of content,” and to limit confusion among Albertans.

    Shannon MacDonald, a professor at the University of Alberta’s school of public health, said ambiguity in immunization campaigns can be problematic, because it might leave people questioning whether getting vaccinated is the right choice.

    Jia Hu, a public health physician and professor at the University of Calgary, said governments need to convey a consistent, strong message in favour of vaccination.

    The original article contains 1,140 words, the summary contains 212 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!