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A former Trump administration adviser who pushed for a herd immunity strategy to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has been invited to talk to Alberta’s governing physique, Premier Danielle Smith stated this week.
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Throughout a discussion board forward of the Brooks-Drugs Hat byelection this week, Smith stated a gaggle of docs who’re advising her has reached out to Dr. Paul Alexander, a Canadian researcher and former adviser to a member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Alexander pushed for a herd immunity strategy in 2020 and had beforehand sought to have larger management over communications from apolitical communications, based on reporting from U.S.-based information shops.
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Smith’s comment got here throughout a discussion board held this week by the Drugs Hat and District Chamber of Commerce in response to Independence Get together of Alberta candidate Bob Blayone. Blayone stated he discovered concerning the COVID-19 pandemic by reaching out to Alexander in addition to a number of different docs who’ve develop into common all through the pandemic for spreading what has since been deemed to be misinformation.
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Blayone stated these figures need to come to Alberta and meet with the federal government.
“I’ve received a gaggle of docs advising me and I do know that they’ve already reached out to Dr. Paul Alexander. So, I’m excited about listening to what he has to say,” stated Smith in response.
Becca Polak, Smith’s press secretary, stated Smith is consulting with Well being Minister Jason Copping on placing collectively a “certified and various group” of medical consultants to advise the federal government on a spread of well being points.
“This group of well being advisors shall be introduced earlier than the top of the yr after the mandatory vetting and choice course of is full,” stated Polak in an e mail.
She didn’t reply to a lot of questions relating to the invitation despatched to Alexander or whether or not he was being thought of for inclusion within the group of medical consultants.
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Smith has, on a number of events, said she is going to look to overtake Alberta’s well being system. She stated Alberta won’t ever once more introduce masks mandates in faculties or vaccination mandates in broader society. She additionally introduced she would exchange chief medical officer of well being Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who by-and-large was the face of Alberta’s pandemic response.
Smith has said she has plans to overtake the board of Alberta Well being Providers.
She has additionally said she believes individuals who selected to not be vaccinated have been essentially the most discriminated-against group of individuals in her lifetime. Smith has since issued clarifications on that remark.
Tim Caulfield, a research chair in well being legislation and coverage and professor on the College of Alberta, stated it was disappointing to listen to that people who’ve pushed for discredited positions are being sought to tell well being coverage.
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“It’s additional proof that Danielle Smith is listening to fringe voices,” stated Caulfield. “There may be this huge physique of proof that has been amassed by famend consultants, unbiased consultants from all over the world that she might draw on. However as an alternative, she turns to individuals which were discredited and which can be pushing discredited theories.”
Caulfield stated there may be room to mirror on the federal government’s response to COVID-19 and to study from previous selections. Nevertheless, he stated that work is already ongoing and that it needs to be grounded in proof.
He stated that claims that herd immunity would have helped get us by the pandemic have largely been discredited by the medical group. Pointing to a lately launched research that concerned a whole lot of consultants from varied fields, he stated there’s a rising consensus on methods to handle COVID-19 and it revolves round a robust vaccine coverage and extra public well being measures.
“That is all political theatre. Revisionist historical past. This has nothing to do with good science,” stated Caulfield.
dshort@postmedia.com
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