Alberta doctor under fire for spreading 'completely false' COVID-19 claims
CBC
Alberta Health Services says a Red Deer doctor's claims that the province waited for a drop in hospital admittance numbers to justify COVID-19 restrictions are "completely false."
A video widely circulated online this week shows Dr. Gary Davidson, an emergency medicine physician at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, speaking before a large crowd at a recent public forum. CBC News was unable to confirm the date or location of the event.
In the video, Davidson — a former chief of emergency medicine in Red Deer — accuses the government of manipulating the numbers surrounding the new restrictions.
But in a statement to CBC News, Alberta Health Services spokesperson Kerry Williamson said Davidson's claims are harmful and disappointing.
"This physician's opinions do not accurately reflect the COVID-19 pandemic, the AHS pandemic response, or the situation at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre," Williamson said.
CBC News asked Davidson to respond to the AHS statement but he declined.
AHS and one of Davidson's colleagues confirm he is the man speaking in the video.