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Te Whatu Ora has launched an employment investigation after saying a health agency worker spread misinformation using government data about Covid-19 vaccines.
The employee had no clinical background or expert vaccine knowledge, Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ said. He is no longer at work.
Health Minister Shane Reti told the Herald he has been briefed by Te Whatu Ora’s chief executive and her senior leaders and said, “there are many conspiracy theorists out there”.
“Any suggestion that health data is being misused or misinterpreted on this scale is extremely concerning to me,” he said.
The chief executive of the health department, Margie Apa, said: “What he is claiming is completely wrong and ill-informed and his comments demonstrate this.”
Apa said Te Whatu Ora wanted to remind people vaccines were safe and effective and they should keep up to date with their shots to protect themselves and their communities.
“Sadly, we have continued to see conspiracy theorists disseminating false and harmful misinformation,” she said.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand chief executive Margie Apa. Photo / Samuel Rillstone
“We assure people there is no evidence whatsoever that vaccination is responsible for excess mortality in New Zealand and that they can continue to have confidence in the vaccine.
“Publicly available data shows that four deaths in New Zealand are possibly linked to adverse reactions following Covid-19 vaccination.
“This is in the context of 3361 people whose deaths have to date been directly attributed to Covid-19 in New Zealand, with more than 12.6 million vaccines administered to eligible New Zealanders as of October 2, 2023.”
Apa said there was a chance some people would fall ill or die from pre-existing conditions shortly after vaccinations, “especially if they are elderly”.
“The Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring, in conjunction with Medsafe and the Independent Safety Monitoring Board, reviewed all reports of deaths to determine if the person experienced any events that may have been linked to vaccination and had the potential to cause death,” she said.
“In addition to this, the Covid-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board has reviewed data published in safety reports to compare natural death rates to observed death rates following vaccination.
“In the monitoring period for the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine [February 19, 2021, to September 30, 2022], the observed number of deaths was less than the expected number of natural deaths.”
Apa said it was “extremely disappointing” that a staff member was misusing data to spread misinformation.
“We take the security of the information we hold extremely seriously, and this is a significant breach of trust. We are considering the privacy implications related to the staff member’s actions,” she said.
Health Minister Shane Reti said while it was a staffing matter for Te Whatu Ora, he has made his “expectations clear that it must be treated very seriously”.
“I have been briefed by the Health New Zealand chief executive and her senior leaders. I have specifically requested that support is being provided to providers named in the claims.
“I have also requested reassurance around the robustness of the health data protection services, and any actions being taken in light of this breach of trust.
“There are many conspiracy theorists out there who unfortunately disseminate harmful disinformation, however, as Minister and as a physician, the public can and should continue to have confidence in vaccines. I am reassured by experts confirming that there is no evidence supporting the allegations that have been made.”
