Doctor facing discipline for spreading COVID-19 misinformation in B.C., college says
A doctor is facing discipline in B.C. for spreading COVID-19 and anti-vaccine misinformation – including on one occasion when he allegedly did so against a backdrop of provincial officials hanging in effigy.
A citation was issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia Thursday outlining the allegations of professional misconduct by Dr. Daniel Yoshio Nagase. A hearing will be held at a later date.
According to the disciplinary notice, the college said Nagase's "public addresses" included making "misleading, incorrect, or inflammatory statements about vaccinations, treatments, and measures for COVID-19." The misconduct is said to have taken place "on or around Dec. 9, 2021."
On that day, a small crowd gathered outside the B.C. legislature to hear speakers opposed to vaccines and public health orders. Effigies with the faces of Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth were hanged prominently behind the stage.
The college's citation does not explicitly refer to this event but does say that Nagase made some of his statements "while appearing in front of effigies of political figures who were hung from nooses." Those statements included endorsing the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and saying that vaccination against the virus is dangerous.
Nagase's registration status with the provincial regulatory body is "resigned." He is listed as a family doctor, but information about where he practiced is not provided.
Nagase was also registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. His status in that province is listed as "inactive." He is also included on a list of "physicians with COVID-19 practice restrictions."
A notice about these limitations was posted online on Dec. 6, 2021. In addition to being prohibited from issuing letters exempting people from vaccination and mandatory mask-wearing, he was also restricted from treating patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Alberta college also placed conditions on his public statements about the pandemic, specifically those about ivermectin and vaccines.
When commenting online or in-person, Nagase was required to disclose that his opinions are "contrary to the accepted views of the profession," which are that vaccinations "have been shown statistically to save lives and to reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms" and that "ivermectin is not authorized to prevent or treat COVID-19 and may cause serious health problems."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.