Alberta called for removal of references to flu, COVID in vaccine push

The Alberta government directed the provincial health authority to remove the words “influenza” and “COVID” from advertisements for the province’s fall immunization campaign, and to wait before communicating with the public, as officials worked to launch the annual program amid warnings that cases of respiratory illnesses were rising, internal government documents show.

The documents, obtained through an access to information request, consist of dozens of pages of communications between officials at Alberta Health, the government ministry, and Alberta Health Services, the provincial health authority. They show that, in addition to ordering AHS to remove references to specific vaccines, the government instructed the health authority to limit information on vaccine benefits and efficacy.

In one e-mail dated Sept. 28, Chris Bourdeau, communications director for the ministry, asks AHS officials to remove the government’s logo from campaign posters and replace “both influenza and covid with just ‘fall immunizations.’ ” Then, on Oct. 3, he wrote: “The desire is to not indicate the types of vaccines available, just that they are.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith won the leadership of the United Conservative Party last year largely because of her fierce opposition to Alberta’s pandemic public-health restrictions.

She has voiced skepticism of vaccines, promoted alternative treatments, and repeatedly blamed AHS for failures in the health system.

Since taking office in October, 2022, she has frequently reiterated her opposition to public health measures, such as vaccine passports, and has vowed to update the Alberta Bill of Rights to protect the unvaccinated. Her government fired and replaced AHS’s board, and is now in the process of dismantling the organization into smaller units.

The province’s current vaccination rate against influenza, at 22 per cent, is the lowest in 12 years. The uptake for the latest COVID-19 vaccines in the province is 14.3 per cent – on par with the national average. Public health experts have said these paltry numbers are partly to blame for the fact that Alberta’s hospital wards and emergency department waiting rooms are now overflowing with patients. The Globe and Mail reported last week that some doctors have said the situation is worse than it was during the height of the pandemic.

Charlotte Taillon, press secretary to Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in a statement that AHS and the government collaborate on many initiatives to ensure “consistency of content,” and to limit confusion among Albertans. She said nearly $516,000 has been spent on this year’s seasonal immunization campaign to date.

“Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring Albertans have access to what they need to make decisions that benefit their ability to live a healthy life, including access to vaccines,” she said.

Kerry Williamson, a spokesperson for AHS, said in a statement that this year’s campaign “used similar content and messaging” to that used in last year’s campaign.

The annual vaccination push usually includes advertisements on the radio, billboards, television, social media and newspapers. In previous years, campaign posters have been plastered on the sides of city buses, and on screens at NHL games. Last year, a text message from the provincial government encouraged residents to get the influenza vaccine. In 2018, one public advertisement read: “Influenza: Could be one less thing your child brings home this winter. Influenza is serious. Immunization works. Protect your family.”

This year, the campaign is far less obvious.

The Globe requested copies of the advertisements currently in circulation, but neither AHS nor the ministry provided them. There are no advertisements for the immunization campaign running on the official Alberta government Facebook page, according to Facebook’s advertising database. AHS is running advertisements that do not include the Alberta government logo. They say “get immunized,” and make no mention of COVID-19 or influenza.

The internal documents obtained by The Globe show that two officials from AHS – Kristin Klein, lead medical officer of health for communicable disease control, and Shannon Shimek, executive director of communications – separately, in mid-September, alerted the government of “increasing pressure” on public health teams, front-line workers and Health Link 811, the province’s health advice hotline, to provide information about fall immunizations.

They asked for a clear timeline for sharing information with the public. But government officials told them multiple times to hold off.

“Specifically, do we need to wait for a public announcement to be able to [communicate] about the fall immunization program with stakeholders and the public? If so, we really need that to happen ASAP because we have not said anything about the XBB program in particular,” Dr. Klein said in a Sept. 14 e-mail, referencing the latest iteration of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We would be WAY behind the 8 ball if this waited until just before the public launch.”

Celine O’Brien, executive director of health and wellness for the ministry, responded: “Communication to the public can go after there is a public announcement which continues to be TBD.”

On Sept. 20, Wanda Aubee, an assistant deputy minister, warned in an e-mail that “cases are increasing” in the province. “A program co-administering influenza and COVID-19 XBB [vaccines] is the most efficient and effective approach for all of us to achieve the public health outcomes,” she wrote.

The government announced in a news release on Sept. 28 that Albertans would be able to book seasonal immunizations starting Oct. 10. It made no mention of the new generation of COVID-19 vaccines.

Ms. LaGrange and Mark Joffe, the provincial chief medical officer of health, were quoted in the release saying people can protect themselves, others and the health system by getting immunized. Albertans were told to speak with their primary care providers for guidance.

But the documents show that the final news release underwent significant revisions before being shared publicly. Those revisions included the removal of details about vaccine eligibility, immunization locations by age group and the types of vaccines being offered and their efficacy against different strains of COVID-19 and influenza. Two lines that encouraged Albertans to book vaccination appointments were also deleted.

It is unclear why the changes were made.

Jia Hu, a public health physician and professor at the University of Calgary, said governments need to convey a consistent, strong message in favour of vaccination. “You ideally want your leaders, your health care workers all recommending vaccines unequivocally,” he said.

In September, Ms. Smith deflected questions about whether she would get the COVID-19 shot this year. She told media that she is in good health and that vaccination is a personal and private choice – an answer echoed by Ms. LaGrange.