COVID-19: Doctors against child vaccination under scrutiny

The Syndic of the College of Physicians (CMQ) will look into its members who signed a letter filled with false information about the vaccination of children against COVID-19, doctors who are strongly criticized by their colleagues on social networks.

“Everything written in this letter is just a bunch of nonsense. I can’t find any other words to describe it”, laments in a video on Twitter the D^r Elie Haddad, professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UdeM and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine.

The specialist is referring here to the missive published on October 22 by the collective Réinfo Covid Québec, well known for spreading erroneous information on the pandemic. In all, 19 doctors and other health workers demand a ban on vaccinating children against COVID in this document addressed to the CMQ.

“What is important to say is that the letter is a bunch of nonsense and false information. It’s very poorly sourced too. Most of the references come from YouTube videos or far-right websites. Very few references are scientific”, criticizes for his part the “doctor of TikTok”, Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée.

Soon an investigation?

The College has confirmed to Log having read the controversial request from Réinfo Covid Québec.

“We will respond to them by letter over the next few days, insisting that science must take precedence,” briefly indicated a spokesperson for the CMQ, Leslie Labranche.

She also adds that the file was “brought” to the attention of the direction of the investigations of the syndic of the order.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) recalls for its part that the Committee on Immunization of Quebec (CIQ) gave a favorable opinion on the vaccination of children from six months to five years old this summer.

Young people in this age group can therefore receive the Spikevax vaccine from Moderna, which was approved in July 2022 by Health Canada professionals.

“Recall that few doctors signed the letter compared to the total number of doctors. We don’t believe we need to go any further with this one,” explains MSSS spokesperson Marjorie Larouche.

• Listen to Richard Martineau’s interview with Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée, graduate of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal in biomedical sciences, pharmacology and physiology on QUB Radio:

Written by mistake

At least one doctor has been registered on the list of the collective without the agreement of the professional, according to our information.

“My name ended up on the list by mistake, they asked me like several doctors if I wanted to co-sign and I did not answer,” says the D^r Daniel Cyr, whose name was removed from the missive after questions from the Log.

Our representative has also contacted the other health professionals who have signed this letter, most of whom are doctors or scientists. They all declined or ignored our interview requests this week.

“If you wish to have an interview and discuss with one of the doctors, we suggest that you contact Dr.^r René Lavigueur,” wrote the collective Réinfo Covid Québec in an email.

Note that the D^r Lavigueur subsequently declined our request for an interview on Friday afternoon. “I know your positions and I don’t think it’s useful for us to communicate,” he said before hanging up the phone.

Surprising names

1. A disbarred doctor

Among the 19 people who co-signed the Réinfo Covid Québec document, Dr.^r René Lavigueur is a well-known figure in Quebec.

Last July, the CMQ disciplinary council imposed a three-month radiation on this doctor from the Sainte-Anne-des-Monts Hospital in Gaspésie.

“He contravened obligations which are at the heart of the profession and which are of significant objective gravity since he exceeded the limits of the professional relationship [avec une patiente]“, can we read in the document of the syndic of the OMQ.

“The respondent has committed several slippages and transgressions in terms of the professional framework,” it adds.

2. A doctor who compares herself to a “field mouse”

The D^D Danielle Fisch, who works in Hatley in the Eastern Townships, told the representative of the Log now be retired.

She also refused to comment on her position by signing the letter against the vaccination of children.

“I’m not interested in saying more. I’m a bit like a field mouse, ”she explained, laughing on the phone, without saying more.

3. He teaches at UdeM

The D^r David Barbeau, who is a clinical lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at UdeM, did not respond to our requests for interviews.

“Like any citizen, the D^r Barbeau enjoys freedom of expression. He does not rely on his status as a clinical lecturer to legitimize his opinion. Signing this letter, as a citizen and outside the university context, does not constitute an exercise of academic freedom. Others will quickly deconstruct his words,” said Geneviève O’Meara, spokesperson at UdeM, by email.

The D^r Barbeau is also a physician at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

“We dissociate ourselves from the remarks contained in the letter and in no way endorse its arguments,” said Danny Raymond, communications advisor for the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

4. A professor at UQTR

The D^r Christian Linard, professor in the department of chiropractic at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR), is also among the health professionals who co-signed the document.

Our request to interview him went unanswered this week.

Jean-François Hinse, communications and media relations advisor at UQTR, declined to comment with The newspaper the letter in which the name of their employee is found.