Doctors of dissent
A group of dissident doctors have joined the ranks of those seeking to undermine confidence in New Zealand’s vaccine campaign by spreading misinformation. What are they saying and do they pose a real threat to our Covid-19 response?
On June 14 talkback radio host and former TV news presenter Peter Williams welcomed Wellington GP Matt Shelton to discuss the Covid19 vaccine.
His guest was from the littleknown group New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out on Science (NZDSOS), Williams said.
He told listeners he wanted to ask questions about a recent report from the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring, which included information about two elderly people who had died after having the vaccine. The report concluded that both deaths were unrelated to the Pfizer vaccine.
Shelton claimed authorities were hiding the truth about adverse reactions to the vaccines, though he gave no evidence to back this claim.
He said general practice was familiar with giving vaccinations and it was not common to see any reactions. By contrast, the Covid vaccine was ‘‘not a walk in the park . . . and that we’re more likely to see patients who have felt unwell’’.
Shelton works independently at the Plimmerton Medical Centre in Porirua, which had not started offering the Covid-19 vaccine at the time of the interview, a receptionist told Stuff.
He told the radio host the Covid19 vaccine rollout was ‘‘indefensible in the light of science’’ and should be stopped, with Covid-19 ‘‘essentially an influenza-level illness in terms of death rates and who is hit hardest’’.
When Williams pointed out the decrease in Covid-19 cases and deaths since the rollout of vaccination programmes overseas, Shelton claimed it was the result of widespread falsification of test results, again without providing evidence.
‘‘So, whilst not wanting to undermine the Government’s objective, we feel that the underlying principle . . . which is that the only solution is a vaccine programme, is incorrect, and we are recommending it be stopped,’’ Shelton said.
He is one of 32 doctors, 100 nurses and 187 allied health professionals who have signed an open letter casting doubt on the
Covid-19 vaccine, published on the NZDSOS website in late April.
Shelton and his fellow signatories are part of a tiny minority of medical professionals who have taken a position on
Covid-19 in direct opposition to the Government, and perhaps more importantly for them, the New Zealand Medical Council.
The council is investigating seven doctors, following 26 notifications, or complaints, about doctors promoting misinformation about Covid-19.
Investigations take nine months, on average, to complete
and can lead to charges being laid. If these are upheld, the doctor can be stripped of the right to practice.
Council chairman Dr Curtis Walker would not confirm if any signatories to the open letter were under investigation, citing privacy, but defended the process as ‘‘robust’’.
‘‘[They] will get the answers that we need that can reassure the public that doctors are conducting themselves in a fit and proper manner.’’
He said the council had worked on reducing the timeframe for investigations to between six and nine months.
‘‘Is that ideal when we are in the middle of a global pandemic when misinformation is spreading like wildfire? Well, it is a process that is set out by law, and thankfully it is not the only process we have to counter misinformation.’’
Walker said the number of doctors of concern was ‘‘incredibly small’’ – just seven out of 26,000 doctors.
But the council took the notifications seriously. ‘‘It’s a percentage that can attract attention because of the position of trust that doctors are held in and so that’s why we take it seriously.’’
Doctors were entitled to have personal views, but Walker said their professional practice and the advice they gave to the public needed to be ‘‘expertly informed and evidence-based’’.
‘‘The weight of scientific evidence over Covid-19 is that the vaccine is safe and effective and necessary if we are going to defeat this global pandemic and that is the over-arching message we are expecting medical professionals to adhere to.
‘‘Medical practitioners may have to decide if they are going to remain medical practitioners or peddlers of conspiracy theories.’’
Public attitudes
A recent survey of more than 2300 people over the age of 16, conducted by the Classification Office and Colmar Brunton, found the vast majority of New Zealanders, 91 per cent, believed Covid-19 was real,
4 per cent believed it was false and
5 per cent said they were unsure. However, nearly one in four believed the dangers and severity of the virus had been exaggerated by officials.
Nearly one in five believed lockdowns were about ‘‘increasing government control’’.
Three-quarters tended to think false information about Covid-19 was an urgent and serious threat.
Could this threaten New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccination targets?
Auckland University research fellow Kate Hannah, who is the lead researcher for a group monitoring Covid-19 disinformation, was unsurprised that some doctors were involved in spreading misinformation.
‘‘It’s not about how educated you think you are, or how much knowledge you have. It’s about something in the story that appeals to you in ways you can’t explain.’’
She said it was likely NZDSOS had been set up by another group to attract people who had genuine fears or experiences of inadequate or unequal healthcare.
Typically about 8 to 12 per cent of people strongly opposed vaccination, Hannah said.
But the Covid pandemic had seen ‘‘larger numbers of people showing levels of commitment to misinformation pages and posts’’.
Closed social media groups, formed to spread misinformation, were growing with more people signing up to platforms which did not have agreements to ban Covid19 misinformation.
She said there appeared to be an intentional effort to move people into closed, private groups and mailing lists and away from good sources of information.
‘‘At that point, when people have signed up, that separates them from other sources of information, and you get the echo chamber.’’
However, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield was more optimistic.
The latest Ministry of Healthfunded Horizon survey results on attitudes to the vaccine showed
77 per cent of 1234 respondents were likely to get the vaccine, with
12 per cent unlikely and 7 per cent ‘‘definitely unlikely’’ to get the vaccine.
Bloomfield said he expected the number indicating hesitancy or resistance to fall by about half over time. ‘‘It will become, I think, a social norm and I think we will continue to see the number of people who genuinely don’t want to have it will continue to decline.
‘‘If we look at childhood immunisation rates, very consistently on average across the country about 5 per cent of parents ultimately refuse to have their child vaccinated, and I am fully expecting we will land at a similar figure for our vaccination for
Covid-19.’’
Hannah said she was hopeful Bloomfield’s assessment was ‘‘more reflective of people’s actual processes for their decision-making than the information that we are reviewing’’.
Stuff attempted to contact the GP signatories to the open letter multiple times by phone and email. Only two doctors provided personal responses.
Takaka-based doctor Aida Hasbun said she signed the letter because she did not believe there was ‘‘sufficient data’’ to support the vaccination programme.
‘‘I believe that it is my responsibility, as a doctor, to bring that to the attention of the involved authorities so that a collegial discussion can happen to avert potential harm and benefit all.’’
One GP replied by email to say he had signed the letter because he had ‘‘questions as a clinician as to how best to advise patients as to the efficacy of the Pzifer vaccine’’.
He ‘‘agreed to support the letter
. . . with the objective of addressing these issues’’, but has since asked for his name to be removed. ‘‘I fundamentally support the Covid19 vaccination programme.’’
He said he had asked multiple times for his name to be removed but this has not been done. Stuff has decided not to name him.
The NZDSOS website has no information about how the group was formed, or who is behind it, other than an email address.
Stuff received a response to an inquiry from an unnamed representative which pointed to a media release published on June
28.
‘‘We are deeply concerned about the integrity of involved journalists; therefore, we will not respond to direct requests from reporters until we are satisfied that they can provide fair and honest coverage of the issue, without suppressing available facts.’’
Signatories a shock to medical colleagues
One of those who signed the letter is former Christchurch doctor Samantha Bailey. She has been among the most active to promote misinformation through her social media channels, with a following of over 200,000 people.
In recent times she has had to redirect viewers from her YouTube channel to an unregulated social media platform.
Bailey’s practising certificate has lapsed, but she is still registered with the New Zealand Medical Council.
She recently complained about being under investigation by the council but said she had more influence now than she had ever had while a practising doctor.
The former TV doctor and owner of an online GP clinic, Bailey appears to have put all of her efforts into her crusade against the Government’s response to Covid-19.
The names of four doctors who signed the letter were blacked out in the last week of June.
A colleague of one of those doctors said she was shocked to learn she had signed the letter.
When Stuff tried to get in touch, the GP’s medical practice said she was on leave.
As a strong supporter of immunisation, including the Covid-19 vaccine, the GP, who did not want to be named, said it was upsetting news and the practice would be speaking with their colleague.
‘‘It’s just absolutely dangerous, and ridiculous and will cost people their lives, this sort of rubbish.’’
Another GP who signed the letter but has had his name blacked out was also on leave from the rural North Island medical practice where he works.
A colleague said he had no idea of the GP’s views, and he and the other GPs would distance themselves from them.
Many of the doctors who signed the letter worked independently – including Matt Shelton – and promoted themselves as being integrative practitioners who work outside mainstream medicine. Others worked in traditional medical practices as well as small, independent healthcare enterprises.
Rob Maunsell worked as a GP at Masterton Medical but also works for Fresh Start Health Services, which is based on alternative medicine therapies. Maunsell declined to comment.
In addition to his work at the Plimmerton Medical Centre, Shelton works for The Diabetes Clinic as an online consultant to clients who pay for a programme to ‘‘reverse type-2 diabetes and prediabetes naturally’’.
Owner Kimbra Lawrence said she was aware of Shelton’s views about Covid-19 and the vaccine – and shared them.
Fighting the good fight
Auckland-based Felicity Williamson works as a public health specialist supporting MIQs and quarantine facilities for Auckland Regional Public Health.
Along with her day job she is active in trying to counter misinformation online, mainly on Facebook.
Williamson said she contacted the pages’ admins to let them know the content was against Facebook’s terms of service, and reported the content to the company.
She said the Medical Council investigations could be precedentsetting.
‘‘I think those of us who do support vaccines are hoping this is another mechanism that can be used to protect public health.’’
She did not believe it was possible for doctors to hold antiCovid-19 vaccine views, and for that not to influence their practice.
‘‘I would struggle to understand how it wouldn’t affect their practice.’’
Doctors with a current practising certificate who have signed the NZDSOS open letter:
Matt Shelton
Anne O’Reilly
Paul Butler
Caroline Wheeler
Tessa Jones
Ulrich Doering
Aida Hasbun
Cindy De Villiers
Damian Wojcik
Rob Maunsell
William J Reeder
Alison Goodwin
Robin Kelly
Wellington Tan
Anna Harvey
Kate Armstrong