Evaluating the Data: Alberta’s Continued COVID-19 Review and the Rationale Behind Lockdowns
Recently, a group of Alberta doctors, appointed by Premier Danielle Smith, have been tasked with reviewing how health data was used in making decisions during the pandemic.
Dr. Gary Davidson leads the task force and had previously raised questions about the government’s data usage to justify lockdowns.
Details about the task force emerged on April 23 through documents obtained by the Globe and Mail. Ms. Smith defended choosing Dr. Davidson to head the review during a press conference at the legislature the same day.
Ms. Smith explained her decision by stating, “I needed somebody who was going to look at everything that happened with some fresh eyes and maybe with a little bit of a contrarian perspective because we’ve only ever been given one perspective.”
Formed in November 2022 shortly after Ms. Smith became Premier, the task force is expected to submit its findings in May and make the report public. A separate review led by Preston Manning was published last year and focused more broadly on Alberta’s pandemic response.
The task force led by Dr. Davidson is specifically examining how health data informed Alberta’s pandemic response. Both reviews by Mr. Manning and Dr. Davidson aim to suggest improvements for future public emergencies.
Guiding Questions
Andrea Smith, press secretary for Alberta’s health minister, outlined guiding questions behind the current review, one of them being, “Was the right data being collected?”
During the pandemic, Dr. Davidson, previously the chief of emergency medicine at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, expressed concerns that his personal experience did not align with publicly reported data.
In a video that circulated online, Dr. Davidson highlighted healthcare issues that preceded COVID-19, attributing them to funding and other factors. He mentioned discrepancies between his hospital experience and the narrative portrayed by the government’s data.
Dr. Davidson critiqued the government for initiating lockdowns based on hospital admission numbers, alleging that this practice was to credit lockdowns for reducing hospital admissions. Alberta Health Services refuted his claims, describing them as misinformation.
Despite Dr. Davidson’s skepticism towards data usage, his task force aimed to gather diverse perspectives. Some original members have left the task force for undisclosed reasons.
The current task force consists of three doctors, including Dr. Davidson, anesthetist Blaine Achen, and epidemiologist David Vickers, all of whom have publicly criticized pandemic measures.
Ms. Smith from the health ministry mentioned that the task force was initially meant to include up to 10 health professionals from various practice areas to facilitate a comprehensive review of Alberta’s pandemic response.
She emphasized the importance of analyzing Alberta’s COVID-19 data management and decision-making approaches to better prepare for future pandemics.
