A prominent Quebec doctor group is still asking health officials to be truthful about mRNA vaccines.
As a refresher, 19 signatories and members of Réinfo Covid Québec sent an open letter to the heads of three health authorities in the province, namely to the Collège des médecins (CMQ), the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) (the Quebec Public Health Authority), and L’Association des pédiatres du Québec (the Quebec association of pediatricians).
The letter says information on mRNA vaccines is not complete for parents deciding whether or not to vaccinate their children.
Since the letter was released in October, the group has only heard back from the Collège des médecins who had an evasive and guarded response, the group told The Counter Signal.
The college also tweeted out an article responding to the letter, titled COVID-19: Doctors against child vaccination under scrutiny from the Journal de Montréal.
In the article, two doctors from the University of Montreal denounced the open letter as “a bunch of nonsense,” saying it contains “false information”that is “poorly sourced.”
“Most of the references come from YouTube videos or far-right websites. Very few references are scientific,” said Dr. Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée.
Neither doctor referenced provided supporting evidence to back their denunciations.
Nadeau-Vallée, a resident doctor, refers to himself as The Tik Tok Doc, or médecin de TikTok, online. He’s active on social media via his Tik Tok and Twitter accounts to fight misinformation about Covid-19.
One of the signatories of the open letter is Patrick Provost, a biochemistry researcher and professor at the Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology at Laval University.
Provost has found himself at odds with his employer for being outspoken about vaccines and other Covid-19 measures. Two formal complaints have been filed against him, including one that could lead to a suspension.
Provost argues that his employer harassed him and impinged upon his right to express himself academically under law 32, which protects academic freedom in university environments in the province.
He also criticises his employer for undertaking a $1.1 million study about vaccine hesitancy, exclaiming “it is less about conducting scientific research than defending government policy.”
Asked whether conflicts of interests exist at Laval University with Big Pharma, Provost affirmed “Laval University is no exception. It receives large sums from pharmaceutical companies that benefit from the current crisis, among others, through its Foundation,” before continuing “The information was removed from their website shortly after it circulated on social media. University professors dare not speak out for fear of reprisals. Some have research grants on COVID-19 or vaccines, and therefore have no interest in seeing the crisis fade or that vaccines are advised against or refused by the population.”
