NI medical chief 'appalled' by Dr Anne McCloskey's anti-vaccine video as Derry GP suspended

Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer has said he is “personally appalled” by comments made in an anti-vaccine video posted by a GP from Londonderry.

Dr Michael McBride said he welcomed an investigation into claims made by Dr Anne McCloskey, who has since been suspended from practising medicine by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB).

“I know it has caused great distress to many members of the public and to health care workers, who know the reality of the Covid threat and the importance of vaccination,” Dr McBride told this newspaper.

“The evidence on the effectiveness of the vaccines is irrefutable.

“On behalf of the health service, I would like to thank everyone who has come forward to get their jab and would urge others to do so without delay.”

In a video that has been widely shared on social media, Dr McCloskey said “this whole hype [the pandemic] has largely been a figment of the media and the Government’s [imagination]” and that vaccines are “unapproved and unlicensed”.

The HSCB confirmed that Dr McCloskey had been banned from working for all health and social care services while suspended.

A spokesperson explained: “Suspension is not an automatic occurrence when undertaking an investigation but may be necessary where there are concerns regarding patient safety and in the public interest.”

The video, which has been watched at least hundreds of times online, has been removed from YouTube, but snippets of it are still being shared across social media.

Members of the public, politicians and fellow medical professionals voiced complaints about Dr McCloskey’s comments.

The Derry GP was previously working on a “seasonal basis” for Western Urgent Care, which is responsible for the out-of-hours GP service in the Western Trust area.

A spokesperson for the General Medical Council (GMC) watchdog confirmed that the body was aware of concerns expressed in relation to the video posted by Ms McCloskey.

“We expect doctors to justify trust in the profession, and the spread of misinformation during the pandemic is a serious concern,” the spokesperson told this newspaper.

“We’ll examine any allegations to determine whether further action is required.”

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Dr McCloskey said she “does not regret” the video, which she said she made when she was “distressed”.

She explained that she had decided to post it on social media because “as a scientist and a practising physician, I am very concerned about the safety of young people”.

“Everything I said is with the patient’s interest at heart,” she added.

“I am not sleeping at night [from] thinking about what is happening to our young people. I stand by what I said.

“I believe that the vaccines are doing immeasurable damage. My impression is that these things are doing more harm and are not being analysed.

“The jabs are in clinical trials for the next two years and human [trials] should not be forced upon people.

“It is in contravention of the Montgomery principles. You cannot experiment on human beings.”

Dr McCloskey also claimed that there was “something very sinister going on” but accepted she could not “prove that scientifically”.

Yesterday, the Department of Health reported a further 1,648 positive cases of Covid-19.

Another 12 people who had previously tested positive for the infection in Northern Ireland died.