Row over QUB academic’s Covid-19 advice

Following a backlash from some virologists, on Friday night the Department of Health published the contents of the letter from the chief medical officer (CMO) Michael McBride dated April 24.

The correspondence reveals that the CMO asked Queen’s to “take all measures within your gift” to ensure the academic “does not give further advice publically which is either inaccurate or beyond the areas of his specific expertise”.

The CMO specifically refers to comments made about PPE (personal protective equipment) he said appear to be “in contravention of the guidance issued by myself and the chief nursing officer”.

The CMO adds: “The added challenges to myself and colleagues from ill-informed commentary and communication risk detracting from our key focus of responding to the pandemic in Nl.”

In a statement issued along the a copy of the letter, a department spokesperson said the letter was written after it became aware of “GP concerns about public comments by an academic”.

“It was felt that the public comments had the potential to create concern and confusion among GPs during an already stressful period,” the spokesperson said.

“It is not unreasonable to raise concerns about public commentary. To depict this as some kind of assault on academic independence is frankly nonsensical. By the same token, writing to a newspaper paper about a specific inaccurate or unfair article is not an assault on the freedom of the press.”

The statement goes on to say that academics should be assured “that their unfettered contributions to public understanding are welcome and valued.”

It added: “Any suggestion that the letter has caused any reluctance among academics to engage with the media is clearly untrue”.

“The Chief Medical Officer and the Department are completely supportive of the role played by academics, who have provided informative and instructive comment via the media during the course of the present pandemic.

“At no time has the Department or any of its officials sought to curb that discourse. Indeed the work undertaken by academics from both our outstanding universities is recognised as having played a major part in the ongoing advances in tackling the effects of Covid-19.”

Earlier this week one of the Queen’s University virologists posted a message on Twitter saying the CMO’s request “does not bode well”.

Dr Connor Bamford said: “I understand that public health is a sensitive matter at the minute yet politely requesting that virologists do not engage with the media on such issues at this critical time and only talk about ‘the virus’ does not bode well for the future of this pandemic.”